It was a gold rush for Lisburn athletes, with some stellar performances helping them to claim five gold medals on the night.
City of Lisburn AC athlete Callum Lowe, who claimed both a gold and silver medal at the last event, bettered his previous result by taking home two gold medals this time, finishing in first place in the U13 Boys 75 metre hurdles and the U11 Boys 60 metre hurdles. It was a photo finish in the U11 Boys 60 metre hurdles, with Lowe just pipping Thiago Kelly to the post with a time of 9.26 seconds, with Ethan Wiltshire finishing in third place.
In the U13 Boys 75 metre hurdles, Lowe saw off the competition by finishing with a time of 13.83 seconds. He was followed by Isaac Orr and Leo McAuley in second and third place respectively. Lowe can now boast an impressive haul of five gold medals won over the course of the series.
Grace Bennett (Lagan Valley AC) also claimed her second gold in the series after her performance in the U15 Girls 3000 metres. The newcomer led from the start to finish with a time of 10:56.18, securing herself a gold medal in the process, with Hannah O’Toole and Georgia Kidd finishing in second and third place respectively.
Also taking home a gold medal was Madison Hanna (Lagan Valley AC) for her performance in the U15 Girls High Jump, leaping to victory with an impressive jump of 1.40 metres. She was joined on the podium by Ruby Kennedy in second place, with Aoife Hanna finishing in third place and taking home a bronze medal.
The fifth and final gold medal was won by Erin McCullough (City of Lisburn AC) in the U15 Girls 75 metre hurdles, who finished in first place to claim gold with a time of 13.37 seconds. She was followed by fellow City of Lisburn AC athletes Rebecca Lowe, who finished in second place to claim silver and Ruby Kennedy who finished in third place and took home a bronze.
The series, organised by Lagan Valley Athletics Club, will pause for the month of July, before returning for the penultimate event in the series, which takes place on the 18th of August.
Pamela Beatty, Marketing at firmus energy, attended the event and said:
“It was another highly competitive night at Mary Peters Track, with some great performances from athletes from right across the island. This partnership with Lagan Valley Athletics Club has been a long-term commitment for firmus energy with a focus on supporting local athletes in their competitive journey.
“Participation throughout the series has been strong and the feedback from athletes has been overwhelmingly positive”.
The highly competitive series, which is sponsored by natural gas company, firmus energy, attracts athletes from across Northern Ireland and Ireland and offers disciplines suitable for all abilities and ages. The next event in the series will focus on various track and field disciplines including short and middle-distance running, the high-jump, long-jump, and the shot putt.
Lagan Valley Athletics Club President, John Glover added,
“The Fab Five series is now well underway, and the third event did not disappoint. Best performance of the evening was arguably that of Fionntan Campbell of North Belfast Harriers. The 19-year-old won the 3000m in a time of 8:38.67, the fastest by a local Under 20 athlete this season.
“In the field events the spectators were treated to the site of the 7.26 kg Hammer flying out over 60 metres thanks to the efforts of Irish Champion Brendan O’Donnell who made the long trip to the Mary Peters Track from Lifford in Donegal”.
Online registration for the next event in the firmus energy Fab 5 Series is now open. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Firmus-Fab-5-Meets
