Anyone wanting confirmation that this is indeed a golden generation of young athletes in Fermanagh need only look at the intermediate boys results from last Friday's E District schools Track & Field finals at Antrim Forum, where the uniquely talented bunch of young men who have been developed locally won the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4 x 100m relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Shot Putt and but for injury to Barry Bannon would probably have added the High Jump to their dominance of this hugely competitive age group.
Overall local schools had an excellent day with titles or medals for St. Michael's College, Devenish College ,Erne Integrated College, Portora, Mount Lourdes, Lisnaskea High School, St Eugene's Roslea and Enniskillen Collegiate with Fermanagh boys taking home 36 medals and the girls nine.
For local athlete of the day there were plenty of contenders with double golds at U17 level for Gerard Maguire of Erne Integrated in the Inter 100m in 11.3 and 200m, 23.7, and the St Michael's duo of Mark Hoy and Niall Cullen who carved up the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 3000m between them, Hoy taking the two shorter distances and Cullen the grueling 1500/3000 double.
Jonathan Magwood of Portora was an impressive winner of the junior 100 in twelve seconds flat and the 200m, Niall McKeever followed him across the line in the longer sprint having already won the 800m while a year young, and Stuart Connor looked good with a last round victory in the Inter Shot.
For drama and quality it is hard to look past a gripping inter boys Triple Jump where Ciaran Dolan and Benjy Knox of Omagh Academy peppered the 13metre line all morning with Dolan's last round 12.87m edging Knox's 12.79m with the last jump of the almost two hour contest.
Dolan added the Long Jump with a modest 6.28m and like steeplechase gold medalist James Speight and all the other inter boys medal winners he can look forward to a good Ulster championships this weekend.
In the girls events medals were not as numerous, with golds going to Aine Flanagan of St Eugene's in the 300m and Jayne Maguire of Mount Lourdes in the 800m both a intermediate level.
Raine Gallagher of Mount Lourdes and Karen Cromie of Devenish College both took 100m silver medals at Minor and Junior level respectively while Caoimhe Sanderson took a bronze in the junior discus.
Back in the younger age groups for the boys there was double gold for Devenish College in the junior discus with Darren Corchrane and in the minor Long Jump where Keith Ogle was the dominant athlete, while Jordan Hylton of Portora and Ruairi Maguire of St Michael's took the minor 100m and 800m respectively. Finn Corrigan had an excellent solo run to clock 4.29.5 in the 1500m while in the seniors James O'Connor took the 100m and 200m the latter in a promising 22.9, Craig Phair, now of Portora, added to the medals he won over the years for Lisnaskea High with 3000m gold and Triple Jump winner Caolan McBrien and Michael Slevin both took two medals each for St. Michael's.
Dale Johnson and Adam Stockdale got amongst the medals for Lisnaskea High in the junior Shot and hurdles.
In the inter boys gold rush there were also fine bronze medals for Daniel Walsh in the 400m and Cathal Delea in the 800m with St Michael's taking the final event of the day the relay in fine style to compensate a little for the disappointment of the disqualification of their junior quartet who had 'won' their event a few minutes earlier.
All the medalists can look forward to action this Friday and Saturday when the Ulster finals take place back in Antrim but for all of them and indeed many of those who did not make the rostrum on Friday there is still a long season of athletics ahead for those who want it with NI/Ulster club age groups, All-Ireland schools and age groups, Young athletes league and plenty of open meetings to fill the evenings and weekends between now and the end of July.
