Delight for Donore in Senior Championships
DONORE Harriers boasted a terrific return from last weekend’s National Senior Track and Field Championships in Santry, winning five medals, including two gold on the second day of competition.
Eric Keogh was the first from the club to secure his place on the podium after he finished third in the Men’s 10,000m behind Mick Clohisey and Stephen Scullion in first and second respectively.
Donore’s John Travers (left) on his way to winning the Men's 1500m
While they pulled well clear, Keogh turned in a scintillating last 200m to capture his first National Senior individual medal in a time of 30.18.85.
And it was nothing less than he deserved having gone very close to the senior podium in the past and having enjoyed a great road season this year.
In the 4×100 Women’s Relay, the team of Lucy Hurly, Eva McPartlan, Lauren Flaherty and Sarah Lahiff won silver in a time of 51.51.
It was a very busy weekend for Aoife Lynch who had to qualify for the 100m and 200m finals which she did in fine times of in 11.93 and 24.42 respectively.
In the final of the latter, she captured her first National Senior Outdoor individual medal edging out Ferrybank’s Niamh Whelan for bronze in 24.36.
In her 100m final that boasted an absolutely stacked field with the championship record broken by Ciara Neville in 11.33, Lynch finished seventh in a new personal best time of 11.91.
John Travers retained his 1500m title in style, covering all the moves in a race which was very close at times before drawing on his trademark finishing kick to clinch the win in 3.49.40 from Andrew Corcoran and St Coca’s Kevin Kelly.
His win also saw him awarded the Basil Clifford Memorial Cup, presented in memory of the 1964 Olympian and Donore Harriers’ first sub four-minute miler.
In the last race of the day, the Donore quartet of Zak Higgins, Elliott Slade, Darragh McAuley and Jack Raftery (fresh from his outing at the European Under 20 Championships in which he helped Ireland to the final of the 4x400m Relay) emerged victorious.
On top of those medal wins, there was a fourth place finish for Lauren O’Keeffe in the Women’s Hammer before Paul McDermott finished sixth in the Men’s 200m Final in 21.91.
Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill was seventh in the 5000m in 17.30, Ailbhe Healy eighth in Women’s Pole Vault with a clearance of 2.80 while Jack Raftery narrowly missed the 400m final after finishing runner-up in his heat in 48.81.
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