Bronze for Luke & Lucas at 123.ie Irish Schools Track & Field Finals

It was bronze on the double of North Leitrim AC's Lucas Lyons and  Luke Fitzmaurice when they both finished third in their events at  last weekend's 123.ie Irish Schools Track & Field Championships.

Luke was first to medal on Friday evening when the Irish international, who  has been battling an injury in recent weeks having helped St Patrick’s Dromahair to win the Leitrim U18 League Division 1 title, took home the bronze medal in the Senior Boys 3,000m  walk in a time of 14.23.10 despite receiving a 30 second time penalty.

That proved costly as Aidan Bayn of Salesians College in Celbridge finished just less than 24 seconds ahead  in a time of 13.58.17, taking the silver medal away from the Leitrim walker. The race was won by Seamus Clarke of St Muredach's Ballina in a time of 12.45.71.

Lucas Lyons of St Clare’s Manorhamilton finished a superb third in a fast Inter Boys 3,000m on Saturday, clocking a  time of 8.51.88 in a superb breakthrough performance for the North Leitrim AC runner. That left him just 2.5 seconds behind Enniskillen Royal GS’ Harry McKenzie  but, more importantly, two seconds clear of fourth placed Leo Murray of Douglas CS. Lucas went on to finish ninth in the Inter boys  1,500m in a time of 4.22.47.

A 30 second time penalty proved even more costly for St Clare’s Sarah Mulvaney Kelly who saw a potential gold medal in the Junior girls walk turn into a fourth place finish. St Joseph’s Castlebar duo Pearl Sands and Lillian O’Brien, athletes Sarah beat by over ten seconds in  Connacht, took first and second  last Friday  in times of 5.27.92 and 5.39.72, bettering their provincial times by almost 20 seconds each.

Waterford’s Sophie Beresford took the bronze medal in a time of 5.43.72, the Dungarvan walker finishing just less than ten seconds ahead of Mulvaney Kelly whose official time was 5.53.64 as the 30 second penalty relegated her from gold to fourth.

In the junior boys walk, Lough Allen College’s Lee McNamara finished seventh in a time of 7.10.57. In the Intermediate girls walk, Karen Mulvaney Kelly finished seventh in a time of 11.24.84 for the 2,000m distance while she also finished ninth in the hammer with a throw of 20.78m. 

Lough Allen College’s Dean Williams finished seventh in the Senior Boys Hammer with a best throw of 37.37m. Carrick AC’s Anna Trench Winston, competing for Sligo GS, jumped a best of 4.22m to take tenth in the Junior Girls Long Jump.

Next Saturday, June 15, sees the Connacht U9-11 Team and U12 & 13 individual championships in Claremorris.