BY EAMON HARVEY: Schools athletes from across Donegal impressed when the Aviva sponsored Irish schools finals were held in a packed Tullamore Stadium yesterday.
It was estimated that the attendance was over six thousand.
The Abbey Voc School, PE Dept., who work in partnership with the local Tir Chonaill club , in introducing and developing athletics, reaped a rich harvest when the schools Junior girls team won the overall All Ireland Cup, smashed a twenty years old 4 x 100m record and placed athletes on the winning podium on five occasions during an exciting days athletics.
In addition students from St Eunans, Letterkenny,St Columbas, Stranorlar, Royal and Prior Raphoe, Carrick Voc School and Killybegs Voc placed in top three positions.
Relays are always exciting. As the meeting climaxed the AVS 4 x 100m junior girls team of Emma Brady, Kate McGowan, Ruth Gillespie and Kelly McGrory with no small amount of good sprinting and slick baton changing, ran an outstanding time of 50.34secs for an impressive victory.In the process they broke a twenty year old record and had the distinction of the fastest girls relay time of the day.
This performance climaxed a day that found Kate Mc Gowan win the 75m Hurdles in an impressive time of 11.42secs., Kelly McGrory record 2nd and 3rd finishes in the 100 [12.84secs]/200m-26.22secs -the former an identical time as winner Harrison from Limerick -electronic timing deciding on the winner, Emma Brady, 2nd Triple Jump; Karl Griffin 2nd Inter Boys 800m; Clare Brady 4th Inter Girls Pole Vault; Kate McGowan 4th Junior Girls Long Jump; Ciara Crawford, 9th Junior Walk.
When the points were totted up Abbey’s Junior Girls had a total 43 points and to a delighted support group which included parents, coaches, members of Tir Chonaill AC plus school Principal Mr Emmanuel McCormick, team captain Emma Brady accepted the Irish Schools Cup from Mr Micahel Hunt, Chairman of the ISAA.
Ruairi Finnigan, St Eunans,/LAC, went to the front from the gun in the Inter[U17] 1,500m and as the race progressed he increased the lead and went on to win in an outstanding time of 3mins 55.22secs. John Kelly, Royal and Prior Raphoe/Finn Valley, was involved in great battle in the Inter-U17 5k Shot Putt. His best of 14.64m, was 20cm better than Jagguar from Blackrock College.
Christopher Doherty, Carrick Voc./Tir Chonaill received his first National winning medal when he cleared 3.60m to win the Senior Boys Pole Vault.School mate and Sl Liag AC, Barry Quigg, got over 1.90m for runners up spot in the Senior Boys High Jump. Killygegs Voc’s Hannah Campbell, another member of David Doherty’s Pole Vaulting squad in Donegal Town, had a PB of 2.30m for a bronze medal winning performance – she narrowly missed at 2.50m.
Blaithon Patton, St Columba’s/Finn Valley brought the medal haul to a close with a 1.55m best for bronze in the Inter Girls High Jump.
