Laois sprinter captures gold on Irish debut in Birmingham

What a year it’s been for young Dan Downey as the teenager has secured another gold medal at the AAA Championships in Birmingham on Saturday.

He was recently crowned All-Ireland champion after his impressive run in the 800m. Dan now has eight All-Ireland medals with four of those coming in 2023. His wins have come in the 1500m cross country, 600m, 800m and Pentathlon. At the moment, he holds the U-15 800m indoor, U-15 800m outdoor, Schools Junior All Ireland 800m and Indoor pentathlon. A Pentathlon is made up of hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put and 800m.

Coached by his dad Mark Downey, Dan sailed through the heats to qualify for the final. He crossed the line in the final with a time of 1:59.50, a personal best for the young sprinter.