Youngsters on song in Germany

WHILE Ireland’s seniors were succumbing to relegation at the European Cup in Leiria, an elite junior squad was doing extremely well in the prestigious junior international meeting in Mannheim, where two more athletes added their names to the team for the European junior championships.

Carlow’s Danny Darcy, who already had a standard at 1,500m, ran 1:50.56 for third in the 800m, which also qualified him at that distance, while Waterford teenager, David McCarthy, posted a European junior standard with 1:51.22 for fifth place for a best ever age group performance by an Irish athlete. Hammer thrower Padraig White posted a new personal best and a European junior qualifying standard with a throw of 64.11 metres.

Ciaran O Lionaird (Leevale) ran a superb 3:50.41 for fifth place in a high class 1,500m to post a new pb while Roseanne Galligan also had a pb in the 1,500m - finishing third in 4:28.32, Azmera Gebrezgi was fifth in 4:29.88.