3rd
June 08 IGHO HOPS, STEPS AND
JUMPS FOR GOLD AT IRISH SCHOOLS
Several City of Derry Spartans competed in the All Ireland Schools
T & F Championships last Saturday. Conditions were mix of
Sunshine & Igho Diegbe upset the formbook to win the Senior
Boys’ Triple Jump at the Irish Schools’ Track and Field Championships
in Tullamore.
After only finishing second in the Ulsters,
the so-called experts felt it would be a struggle for the City
of Derry athlete to even secure a podium place at the national
decider.
However, they had underestimated the competitiveness
of the St. Columb’s College pupil who had trained like never
before this past winter under the tutelage of former Triple-Jump
international Stephen Maguire.
Diegbe opened up with a 13.09 metre effort
to take a lead from the opening round that he was never to lose.
Darragh Egan from Gormanston in County Meath responded with
12.79m effort in the fourth round but by that time the Derry
athlete had got out to 13.09 again. With the opposition thoroughly
tamed, Diegbe was able to close off the competition with efforts
of 12.52m and 12.70m for a memorable victory.
Two other northwest schools not normally mentioned
in dispatches at this level had gold medalists. Conor McLaughlin
from Strabane who attends Omagh CBS won the 400m Hurdles in
55.32 and Ian Ward from the Royal & Prior, Raphoe comfortably
contained the opposition on the last lap of the 1500m to win
in 3:56.64.
There were some other impressive performances
from northwest athletes which fell just short of the winner’s
enclosure. Thornhill’s Georgina Brown followed up her win in
the Ulsters by taking runner-up spot in the Senior Girls’ Javelin
with a best throw of 34.31. A personal best clearance of 1.65
metres was enough to secure a bronze medal for Jamie Herron
of St. Cecilia's in the Intermediate Girls' High Jump.
Darren McBrearty took second in the Senior
Boys’ 800m in an excellent 1:54.52 after a slow opening lap.
His St. Eunan’s Letterkenny colleague Mark English also picked
up a silver medal in the Intermediate Boys’ 800m with a 1:59.68
timing.
Curtis Woods was the outstanding Northern performer
at the meeting setting a new record in the Intermediate Boys’
400 metres before adding a second gold in the 200m.
A double champion in the 2007 in the Junior
(U15) age group last year, the Downshire pupil opened up with
a sensational 48.29 seconds clocking for 400m. Woods finished
20 metres clear of his nearest rival and followed up with a
21.87 seconds timing in the 200m to see off the challenge of
Regent House’s Scott Hamilton who had earlier won the 100m in
11.18.
James Nolan was a narrow winner of the Irish
Milers’ Club mile held in conjunction with the meeting after
squeezing home by just three-hundredths from David McCarthy
in 4:01.02. North Belfast’s Stephen Scullion broke new ground
for him with a 4:09.57 timing.
Malcolm
Medalists
Igho Diegbe - St Columb's 1st Senior triple Jump 13.09 m PB
Georgina Brown - Thornhill 2nd Senior Javelin 34.31m
Jamie Herron - St Cecilia's 3rd Inter HighJump 1.65m PB
other results
Eamonn Colhoun St Joseph's 8th Senior 2k Steeplechase 6min 28.45
sec
Seanan Heaney Lumen Christie 7th Senior Long Jump
Emaire Hone St Cecilia's 5th Inter High Jump 1.55m
Emma Mc Kay St Cecilia's 8th Junior High Jump 1.40m
Jamie Herron St Cecilia's 5th Triple Jump 10.68m
Congrats & Well done to all .
Jim
