DONEGAL athletes were celebrating success today at the Irish Life Health Masters Track and Field Championships in Santry.
Six athletes toasted gold medals on a busy day of action at Morton Stadium.
Among the highlights of the day was the gold medal for Rosses AC’s Nicole O’Donnell.
In the masters woman W35 100m, O’Donnell won gold. O’Donnell finished in an impressive 13.38 seconds – beating Blackrock’s Ashling Mathews (14.07) and Lambay Sports’ Sarah Scott Minto (15.47).
Martin Cunningham (main picture) of Tir Chonaill AC won the M40 1,500m final.
Cunningham’s 4:22.78 saw him clinch the gold ahead of Donore’s Emmet Ó Briain (4:26.52) and Tim O’Connor from An Riocht (4:28.70).
Paddy Brennan of Finn Valley took the M35 1,500m title.
Brennan powered home in 4:09.94 with Denis Coughlan (St Finbarr’s) in second and Omagh’s Eoin Mullan in third.
There was glory, too, for Sinead McConnell of Finn Valley in the W50 3,000m walk. McConnell won gold in 15:56.94.
Paddy Brennan and Catriona Devine
Patrick Galvin from Finn Valley took a long jump gold with a 5.02m best in the M45 class, while PJ Sweeney, also of Finn Valley, won long jump silver in the M60 category.
Lifford-Strabane’s Damian Crawford won the M50 javelin, reaching to a best of 48.59m and Bosco Reid was the winner of the M60 hammer, throwing 31.90m.
Catriona Devine of Finn Valley was second in the W45 1,500m. Devine was just pipped by Kilmore’s Jackie Carty, who won in 4:59.81, edging Devine’s 5:00.33.
Inishowen AC’s Martin Mooney won gold in the M35 110m hurdles and Trisha Gillespie of Rosses claimed silver in the W45 long jump.
The M50 weight for distance (35lbs) silver went to Tir Chonaill’s Robert Anderson.
Sinead McConnell
