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.

Kelly Proper, long jumped 6 metres for fourth place, Eoin Everard, was just outside the European qualifying standard for 800m when he posted a new pb at 1:51.40 and Linda Byrne was just outside steeplechase qualification, finishing sixth in 4:30.14.

Louise Kiernan ran 11.97 in the 100m while Mandy Crowe, in an under-23 event, ran 100m in 12.16 after recording a new pb of 24.62 - when coming second in Saturday’s 200m.