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Irish Independent
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Drogheda and District athletes excel at Boyne 5K
The very best of sportsmanship was everywhere to be seen at the packed race that started on the road just outside St Oliver Plunket National School on Ballymakenny Road. We had the good fortune of a pause in the torrential rain as a very large field gathered- just under 600 entries for the race, young and old, tall and small, so many smiles and every single runner, some with poker faces, some who's faces would only betray a thousand words of agony, but every single runner a champion! The course was well liked and the organisers really went to town making it a terrific evening for all. Leading the charge were the trio of Tadhg Donnelly who's just back from New York, Colin Dyas, who's been in fantastic form this year, and Paul Smith who's always up for a challenge. And that's just what the competitors got in this out and back course on the gentle rolling hills near the new Northern Cross route. Tadhg, who won last year's event, albeit on a slightly different course, did have some reasonably good competition from Clonliffe Harriers man Ian Guidan but in the end he was well able for him finishing over half a minute ahead in 14:37, setting a new course record as well as being crowned champion of the race. Paul Smith motored well also to finish in a solid 16:12 and took the over 40's category prize. Colin Dyas ran well finishing in 16:38. Meanwhile both Paul Kierans and Aedan Prone ran out of their skin for Personal Best times and they were separated by just four seconds. Thomas Breen deserves special mention for an outstanding performance finishing the Boyne 5k race in a speedy 19:26. The Drogheda men took first place in the team honours too. Meanwhile Drogheda ladies were not to be outdone with a superb run from Eimear Knowles who was fifth lady at the race completing the course in 20:37. Andrea McArdle ran very well showing that the consistent training is paying off for her. She finished the race in 21:56 and with Eimear Marron and Helen Dillon just behind, the ladies also took first team. Young Cian Bolton clearly had great fun and showed that he's a tidy runner too, finishing in 21:09 - terrific running. What made the evening all the more memorable were seeing those that for one reason or another were missing from the races in recent times. Paul Reilly was much pleased with his first race since the same event last year, and although two minutes slower he will continue to improve throughout the season. Stephen Duggan and Sean Toner also both ran very impressively. Then there were those that can be seen training every week and this was their moment to shine. Tony Hartwick ran the 5k in just over 35 minutes, Margo Duffy and Bridie Floyd completed the race in just over 40 minutes, wonderful running by wonderful people. Leinster Juvenile Championships Young athletes from Drogheda & District AC delivered standout performances at the Leinster Juveniles U12–U19 Track & Field Championships held in Tullamore last weekend. In the Girls U17 100m, Ruby Berrill ran a strong race in Heat 1, placing fifth with a time of 14.55 seconds. Ruby's day didn't end there - she later helped the Louth relay team claim silver in the U17 Girls 4x100m, showcasing both individual talent and teamwork. Michael Iloduba put in an impressive performance in the Boys U16 100m, clocking 12.74 seconds to take third in his heat. He went on to compete in a highly competitive final, finishing seventh with a time of 13.01 seconds—a strong showing at provincial level. In the Girls U15 300m, Bonnie Breach placed sixth in Heat 2, finishing in 47.37 seconds, while Hannah Cunningham held her own in the Girls U14 1500m, securing eleventh place with a time of 5:24.47. Relay events brought further success. In the Girls U15 4x100m, Bonnie Breach helped power the Louth team to a bronze medal, rounding off a rewarding day on the track. The Boys U19 Louth relay team also saw double club representation, with James Traynor and Cormac Russell contributing to a silver-medal performance in the 4x100m.
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Athletics wrap: Efrem Gidey and Mark English claim big wins as Sharlene Mawdsley impresses
The 24-year-old made his decisive move with just over 600m to run and came home clear of his rivals, clocking 27:40:47. Silver went to Valentin Gondouin of France in 27:41.95, who edged Gidey to a bronze medal at the recent European Running Championships in Belgium, with France's Felix Bour third in 27:42:00. Gidey was born in Eritrea but fled the war-torn country in 2016, spending several months at a refugee camp in Calais before arriving in Ireland in March 2017, where he was soon linked up with Clonliffe Harriers, where coaches Joe Cooper and Peter McDermott developed his talent. He made his international debut for Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships in 2019, winning bronze in the U-20 race behind Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Since committing to full-time running over the past year, he has made considerable progress, breaking the Irish records at 10km and the half marathon on the road and over 10,000m on the track, clocking 27:26.95 in California in March. He is targeting the World Championships in Tokyo later this year but was narrowly outside the 27-man qualification quota prior to Saturday's race. Elsewhere, Mark English produced a hugely impressive win at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the five-time European medallist unleashing a devastating kick to win over 800m in 1:44.75, close to his Irish record of 1:44.53. 'I'm really happy with that, I felt really good on that last lap and it's a credit to the work I put in, that my coach put in,' said English, who's been training under Australian coach Justin Rinaldi this year. 'I'm really happy I was that strong for the last 200 metres as you need that strength at the world level. I'm just off a stint of altitude training and it reassures me that that training works, and it also reassures me my training group has been really beneficial.' Andrew Coscoran ran a personal best over 5000m at the same meeting of 13:11.05, which will move him inside the qualification cut-off for the World Championships, with Coscoran eyeing a double in Tokyo over 1500m and 5000m. Sharlene Mawdsley was in action in Zagreb and the Tipperary sprinter turned in a hugely impressive run, finishing second over 400m in 51.14 to take a big step forward from her run in Savona earlier in the week. Ava O'Connor won a silver medal in the 5000m at the NCAA Division IÍ Championships in Colorado, adding to her gold in the 3000m steeplechase, while there was a horde of Irish athletes in action at the IFAM meeting in Brussels on Saturday. The most impressive run came from Conor Kelly, the 17-year-old smashing Chris O'Donnell's Irish U-20 400m record of 46.54 and clocking 46.18 despite the wet conditions. Darragh McElhinney was the quickest of the Irish men in the 5000m, clocking 13:26.48, while Róisín Flanagan clocked a Northern Irish record in the women's 500m of 15:22.00, with Íde Nic Dhomhnaill also impressing with a PB of 15:36.68. Sophie Becker opened her individual season with a 51.69-second clocking for 400m. Nicola Tuthill finished fourth in the hammer throw in Halle, Germany, throwing a best of 69.68m. Meanwhile, Sarah Healy and Cathal Doyle will be in action at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco this evening, with Doyle making his debut at this level in the 1500m at 7.54pm and Healy racing a strong field over 3000m at 8.07pm.
Irish Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ireland's Efrem Gidey triumphs in European 10,000m Cup
Efrem Gidey became the first Irish athlete to triumph at the European 10,000m Cup in winning the senior men's race on the track in Pacé, France on Saturday night. Coming just over a month after placing fourth over the half marathon at the Brussels-Leuven 2025 European Running Championships, it was another excellent result for the 24-year-old, winning in 27:40.47. Second place went to Valentin Gondouin, who pipped Gidey to bronze at Brussels-Leuven, the French athlete outsprinting his international team-mate Felix Bour as they took silver and bronze in 27:41.95 and 27:42:00 respectively. That burst in the last 600 metres! 🔥 Efrem Gidey 🇮🇪 makes history by becoming the first Irish winner of a European 10,000m Cup title! 🏆 Individual gold in Pacé in 27:40.47! ⏱️ — European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) Gidey, already the joint Irish half marathon record holder with his 60:51 time last September, had already broken the Irish 10,000m record on the track last month. READ MORE The Clonliffe Harriers runner was clearly delighted with his performance, having also finished sixth in the 10,000m at the 2022 European Championships in Munich, and also winning bronze in the under-20 race at the European Cross-Country in 2019. Gidey, who arrived in Ireland as a refugee from Eritrea in 2016 and gained Irish citizenship in 2019, is unquestionably in the form the form of his life. He is now benefiting from training full-time, still based largely in Dublin while under the guidance of London-based coach Andy Hobdell.
