Lifford Strabane AC’s Brendan O’Donnell became the first Donegal athlete in history to break the 60-metre mark in the Hammer Throw when throwing 60.45m at the Dunboyne Winter Throws Meet in Co. Meath at the weekend.
A successful juvenile and junior athlete, O’Donnell marked his first competition in his first season as a senior athlete by going further than any Donegal man has ever gone before by breaking the previous record of 58.71m on no less than two occasions at the Co. Meath venue, backing up his third round throw of 60.45m with another throw in excess of 60 metres in round five when throwing 60.27m.
A promising start to the new season for the 19-year-old Lifford Strabane AC competitor who contested two European Hammer Throw Finals in 2015 and 2016 at the European Youth Olympics and European Youth Athletics Championships respectively.