Tullamore gold for Clare athletes

Three Clare athletes won gold at the National Junior and U-23 Track and Field Championships at Tullamore on Sunday.

Tim Crowe from Sixmilebridge and Dooneen AC won the National U-23 400m, with Damian Landers (St John’s) taking the 1,500m and Amy O’Donoghue (Meelick and Emerald AC) winning the junior ladies’ 1,500m.
O’Donoghue had her first race in a year after injury played havoc with her training. Racing in the 1,500m, she made all the right moves to win the junior title in 4.47:41.

After the race, O’Donoghue said she has still to decide if she will return to Arkansas University, where she has an athletics scholarship.

Things went wrong for Crowe during the 400m hurdles, forcing him off the track.

However, he was on top of his form in the 400, winning with a time of 48.42 in what was a blanket finish, with just 0.17 separating the first four.

The race of the afternoon came in the U-23 men’s 1,500m, with Darragh Lynch (Ennis Track) and Damian Landers (St John’s) in the final, where Damian produced a fine performance when taking the gold medal in 4.05:57, with Lynch finishing in fifth position.

Eighteen-year-old Alice Akers (Marian), who competed in the Tailteann Games on Saturday, was in the junior ladies’ hammer, where she won a bronze medal in 45.10m.

In the junior men’s 3,000m steeplechase, Karl Fitzmaurice (Shannon) won a silver medal in 10.27:40.

In the international race-walking grand prix in Dublin, Gearóid McMahon (Shannon AC) finished third in the boys’ U-14 2,000m with a time of 10.34.

Results
Junior ladies
1,500m: 1 Amy O’Donoghue Emerald (4.47:41).
Hammer: 3 Alice Akers (Marian) (45.10m).
Junior men 100m: 4 Cormac Lynch (Marian) (11.00).
200m: 6 Cormac Lynch (Marian) (23.46).
Steeplechase 3,000m: 2 Karl Fitzmaurice (Shannon) (10.27.40).
U-23 men 400m: 1 Tim Crowe (Dooneen) (48.42).
800m: 6 Kevin Chesser (Ennis Track) (1.58:90).
1,500m: 1 Damian Landers (St John’s) (4.05:57); 5 Darragh Lynch (Ennis Track) (4.18:62).
5,000m: 5 Jake O’Regan (St John’s) (15.55:21).