All you need to know about Saturday’s Letterkenny AC Sub 4 Minute Mile Challenge Event

written by sport July 4, 2016

International athletics came to Letterkenny with a bang on Saturday night at the Letterkenny AC Sub 4 Minute Mile Challenge Event.

England’s Lee Emanuel stole the show with an impressive display of World class miling, sending the crowd wild by running 3:59.66 in the grande finale event, the Donnelly and Foley Mens Mile.

Photo caption: Danny McDaid and other Letterkenny AC members at the Letterkenny AC Sub 4 Minute Mile Challenge Event with Lee Emanuel on Saturday. Photo: Darren Crossan

Emanuel, a European Indoor silver medallist, was challenged by England’s Robbie Fitzgibbon, who narrowly missed out on his first sub 4 with second place in 4:00.16, with American Ahmed Bile taking 3rd place in 4:01.48. Best of the Irish were Kevin Batt and John Travers, finshing in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

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For the second year in a row in Letterkenny, the meeting produced a qualification standard for the Olympic Games, when Petr Frydrych of the Czech Republic threw an incredible 84.10 metres in the 4 Lanterns Mens Javelin, putting himself into 2nd position in the Czech rankings, and hopefully booking his place on the plane to Rio.

His throw also moves him into the Top 20 World list for 2016, and it was the second furthest throw ever recorded in Ireland, just 2cm short of the Irish All-Comers record of 84.12m. Georgios Itsios of Greece was 2nd with Lifford-Strabane AC’s Sean McBride taking 3rd.

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A total of four meeting records were broken on the night with Poland’s Magda Gorzkowska winning the Bonnar Engineering Womens 400m in an impressive 54.53 secs from the English duo of Ella Barrett and Nicole Kendall. South Africa’s Hendrik Maartens won the McGee Memorials Mens 200m in a swift 21.06 secs from Josh Swaray of Senegal and Iceland’s Ari Bragi Karason.

It was a reverse order in the shorter sprint, the J.J. Reid Motors Mens 100m, with Swaray taking the victory in 10.52 from Karason, and England’s Omari-Barton Ellington hanging on for 3rd. Poland’s Karolina Zawila leapt to a meeting record of 6.14m in the Letterkenny Glass Womens Long Jump, with Naomi Morgan of City of Derry Spartans in 2nd and Karyn Dumigan of City of Lisburn in 3rd.

In the Letterkenny Credit Union Mens 400m, Rio Olympics bound Shaun de Jager from South Africa stole the show with a blistering 47.10 secs from Crusader’s Nick Ennis in 2nd and Derry City Track Club’s Aaron Carlyle in 3rd. In the Tobin’s Service Station Mens 800m, Elliott Slade won in a tactical 1:53.16 from fellow Welshman Tom Marshall, with England’s Jack Hallas taking 3rd.

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The McDonald’s/Donegal Daily Womens 800m produced one of the closest finishes of the night, with a titanic battle up the home straight, and Paulina Mikiewicz just edged out fellow Polish athlete Monika Halasa, winning in a time of 2:04.74. New Zealand’s Kat Marshall made it a double podium performance for the Marshall family, with a 3rd place to add to husband Tom’s 2nd in the mens 800m.

For the Diver’s Hyundai Womens 3000m steeplechase, the windy conditions were a huge barrier to any Rio qualifying standards, but it led to a very competitive race at the front with Sanaa Koubaa from Germany taking the win in 9:57.45. Belgium’s Sofie Gallein also dipped under 10 mins for 2nd, with Czech Republic’s Eva Krchova holding on for 3rd place.

In the Hegarty’s Auto Services Mens 3000m, American Jake Huryscz took the win in 8:30.75, in a fast last lap from Emmett Dunleavy of Sligo AC with Lagan Valley’s Andrew Monaghan in 3rd. A new addition to the programme this year, the Youth 1500m produced a number of personal bests for the North-West’s up and coming athletes with Omagh Harrier’s Sean Corry winning in 4:07.25 from the Letterkenny AC duo of Donal Farren in 2nd and Matthew Johnston in 3rd.

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Letterkenny Athletic Club can be very pleased with the fourth staging of the event, with over 80 athletes from 20 countries from all over the World taking part, many of whom will be competing at the Olympic Games in Rio in August. Georgina Drumm, president of Athletics Ireland, commented on the high quality of competiton that was put on in Letterkenny, and she was delighted to be there representing Athletics Ireland. The support of Athletics Ireland, Donegal County Council, Failte Ireland, IPB, all the event sponsors and a team of volunteers make this event possible each year.

Many officials travelled long distances which helped to contribute to the sucess of the meeting. Those who turned out on the night were treated once more to a memorable spectacle of World class athletics with four meeting records being smashed along with yet another sub 4 minute mile in Donegal.

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Event videos are available to view on East Down AC YouTube Page …