Dromahair's Lucas Lyons storms to epic 5,000m gold at 123.ie Irish Schools T&F
St Clare’s CS Manorhamilton & North Leitrim AC athlete runs third fastest time ever in championship event
St Clare’s CS Manorhamilton student Lucas Lyons turned in a superb performance to win the Senior Boys 5,000m at the 123.ie Irish Schools Track & Field Championships at the Tullamore Harriers stadium on Friday evening, running the third fastest time in the history of the event.
The North Leitrim AC athlete clocked a superb time of 14.21.68 to win the prestigious event in Tullamore on day one of the championship, finishing just under five seconds clear of Nenagh CBS’s Diarmuid Maloney (14.26.65) and Odhran McBrearty of St Columba’s Stranorlar (14.50.81).
It was a sweet result for the young Dromahair athlete who had made most of the running in the Irish Schools Cross-country race in March only to get caught in the closing stages with McBrearty taking second on that occasion.
Lucas’s time put him up with some pretty serious company, the record of 14.17.0 set by two time World Cross-country champion and Olympic marathon silver medalist John Treacy in 1974 while Cillian Glesson of Colaiste Cieran Leixlip ran 14.19.66 in 2025.
The young Dromahair athlete, coached by Dermot McDermott in Sligo, joins PJ Leddy (1967) and Eddie Leddy (1968, 1969 & 1970) of St Felim’s Ballinamore as winners of the 5,000m event at the Irish Schools Championships.
The last Leitrim athlete to a win Senior Boys title at the Irish Schools Championships was Carrick-on-Shannon Community Schools’ Gerard O’Donnell who won the 400m hurdles in 2005. The last Leitrim athlete to win a Senior Girls title at the championships was London 2012 Olympian Laura Reynolds of Marian College Mohill who lifted the title for a second time in 2007.