ATHLETICS | Golden weekend for North East Runners quartet at European Masters Championships

McMahon and Lynch win gold while Toal and Jordan help Ireland to team medals

North East Runners’ Brian Lynch and Maurice McMahon pictured with their gold medals at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Venice, Italy

Last weekend proved to be a memorable one for local athletics club North East Runners as Maurice McMahon and Brian Lynch both picked up gold medals for Ireland at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Venice, Italy.

Competing in the Male 45–50 Cross Country 4km race, McMahon, a popular employee at Felda Health and Fitness, saw off competition from Spain’s Victor Ra Pena Martinez (12:14) and Italy’s Francesco Duca (12:17) to take first place in a time of 12:07.

The celebrations didn’t end there, however, and Ireland also picked up the bronze team medal thanks to the sixth-place finish of McMahon’s North East Runners teammate, Declan Toal (12:28), and Philip O’Doherty (14:38).

North East Runners’ Maurice McMahon and Declan Toal, pictured with their medal haul at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Venice, Italy

There was further local success a day earlier when Brian Lynch, another member of North East Runners, won silver in the Male 65 1500m in a time of 4:55:21, finishing behind Irish teammate Joe Gough.

Lynch went one better in the Male 65 Cross Country 4km, his time of 14:18 enough to see him crowned European gold medallist ahead of two Italians, Luciano Moser and Adriano Montini.

He was joined on the podium by a fourth member of the club, Michael Jordan, whose 11th place finish (15:24) helped Ireland to team silver in the same category with Paul Elliott (14:34) making up the three-man team.

All four of the club’s runners are back in action this week when they compete in the 5km race on Friday. Closer to home, North East Runners’ Laura Mathews won the Louth Masters Road 5km at the Seamus Weldon event in Ardee on Saturday evening.