McElhinney and Healy claim national cross country titles

Both had been runner-up in their respective races last year, but both Healy (21) and McElhinney (22) carried into their senior careers the kind of underage credentials that made success in this realm seem inevitable.

SUPREME ATHLETE: Darragh McElhinney was a worthy winner in Donegal. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

For many years it has seemed a matter of when, not if, Sarah Healy and Darragh McElhinney would take over the Irish cross country scene. 

And the young pair duly came of age in Rosapenna, Co Donegal on Sunday, claiming their first national senior titles with a pair of explosive and utterly irresistible finishes.