HIGHLIGHTS: Super performances from Abdel Laadjel, Aoife Lynch, Jack Raftery and Louis O’Loughlin at the Irish Milers Club Meet in Belfast. Sorcha Loughnane victorious in the Northern Ireland & Ulster 50km championships at Down Royal.

REPORT: The Irish Milers Club put on a feast of Irish athletics at their first meeting of the season at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast on Saturday (29.05.2021). Fine conditions and competitive fields meant exciting races and fast times.

The first Donore Harrier into action was Aoife Lynch in the women’s 200m A race. Lynch continued her recent good form with 3^rd place behind national champion Phil Healy (23.29) and her training partner Kate Doherty (24.09) of Dundrum South Dublin AC.

In the 5,000m A race there was a tremendous run from 17 years-old Abdel Laadjel, who knocked well over a minute of his previous personal best to record a time of 14.10.36. Laadjel placed 6^th (of 14) behind winner Hiko Tonosa (13.36.71) of DSDAC. The Kishoge Community College student ran a well-judged race with consistent laps around the 68-seconds mark. His final time was well inside the standard for the World and European Under 20 championships. Club historian Willie Smith compared Laadjel’s performance to that of a young John Treacy, who would later go on to win two world cross-country titles and an Olympic Games marathon silver. Treacy ran an Irish schools record 14.17.0, aged 17, in 1974 – and in the following year ran 14.19.2 to place 2^nd in the European Under 20 championships – before he set a national junior record of 14.04.6 at Liverpool.

Jack Raftery ran a European Under 23 championships B standard in the 400m A race with a new personal best time of 47.27. He placed 3^rd behind Cillian Greene (46.45) and Robert McDonnell (46.59), both of Galway City Harriers. This was a super effort by Raftery, who has had his share of injury woes in the past few months and was only cleared to compete a few days prior to the event.

Louis O’Loughlin was also chasing a European Under 23 standard in the Men’s 800m A race. It proved to be a highly competitive affair, with the first seven men running below the 1.50 mark. O’Loughlin made a poor start, setting off from the less favourable inside lane. He was edged out over the first 200m and got himself ‘boxed-in’ behind the leading group of 6. He passed the 400m mark in 54.5, and despite a combative 2^nd lap was unable to bridge the gap on the leaders. The race was won by John Fitzsimons (1.45.53) of Kildare AC with runner-up Harry Purcell of Trim AC on the same time. O’Loughlin placed 7^th in a European B standard time of 1.48.66. His coach Gerry Naughton said afterwards: “Louis needs to be sharper. He also needs to gain more experience competing against senior athletes. The positive is that he knocked more than a second of his personal best”.

In the 5,000m C race Cathal McCarron (16.00.02) placed 12^th.

In the Ulster & Northern Ireland Ultra Championships at Down Royal second season member and master athlete Sorcha Loughnane, won the women’s 50km race in a time of 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 31 seconds. She finished more than 7 minutes ahead of runner-up Louise Smith of North Belfast AC. This was a super effort by Sorcha! She passed the marathon mark in sub-3 hours and her finishing time is the 2^nd fastest ever by an Irish woman for the 50km distance. She placed 6^th overall from 50 finishers.

Another fine performance came from Des Tremble M50 in the Formula 5km series at Tynagh, Co. Galway on Friday evening (28.05.2021). Running over a fast, flat one-mile road route, Tremble placed 4^th in Race 3 in a time of 16.51. He was 18^th fastest overall from the 80 competitors in the 6-race series.

Elliot Slade was back in action in the NCAA Division 2 Track & Field championship finals at Grand Valley Sports Complex at Allendale, Michigan (27.05.2021). However, he failed to progress from his semi-final in the Men’s 800m after placing 7^th in a time of 1.55.71.

In the Be-Fit-Today Academy track and field event at Dagenham in Essex on Saturday Claudia Sofia Andre (12.34) won the 9^th of eleven 100m races, with Doyin Aderinto (12.72) of Cambridge Harriers (London) in 2^nd place.

RESULTS IN BRIEF:

Formula 5km Road Races at Tynagh, Loughrea, Co. Galway (28.05.2021)

Race 3 of 6: 4^th Des Tremble M50 (16.51) 18^th fastest of 80

NCAA Division 2 Track & Field Championships Finals at Grand Valley Sports Complex, Allendale, Michigan (28.05.2021)

800m Semi-Final 2: 7^th Elliot Slade (1.55.71)

Irish Milers Club Track & Field Meet at Mary Peters Track, Belfast (29.05.2021)

Women’s 200m A Race: 3^rd Aoife Lynch U23 (24.40)

Men’s 400m A Race: 3^rd Jack Raftery U23 (47.27 PB)

Men’s 800m A Race: 7^th Louis O’Loughlin U23 (1.48.66 PB)

Men’s 5,000m A Race: 6^th Abdel Laadjel JNR (14.10.36 PB)

Men’s 5,000m C Race: 12^th Cathal McCarron SNR (16.00.02)

Whitespace NIURA & Ulster 50km Championships at Royal Down (29.05.2021)

Women’s 50m: 1^st Sorcha Loughnane W40 (3.34.31 PB)

Be Fit Today Track Academy Series at Dagenham, England (29.05.2021)

Women’s 100m Race 9: 1^st Claudia Andre (12.34)