Two young athletes from Donegal have been named as the 2026 winners of the prestigious John Carlin Award.
The awards are given for outstanding performances in the finals of the Primary Schools Athletics Challenge, held at Finn Valley AC.
Lukas Janosik and Sean Carlin.
Lukas Janosik of Scoil Iosagan in Buncrana and Cranford National School’s Sadhbh McBride were presented with their awards this week.
Lukas, who competes for City of Derry Spartans powered to a superb win in the 2014 800m and he also won the 100m at the finals.
In March, Lukas – a multiple national gold medal winner who runs with City of Derry Spartans – took gold in a superb 1:33.88 in the U13 600m at the National Juvenile Indoor, a new Championship best.
At the primary schools finals, Sadhbh won the 2015 girls 600m, out-kicking her opponents in fine style down the home straight. She also took victory in the 2015 long jump.
The award is named in memory of John Carlin, the late Crossroads man who was a former Ulster champion and Donegal high jump record holder.
His son Sean Carlin, a former national senior champion who held the Donegal record in the decathlon (7,226) until recent weeks, was on hand to make the presentations in the company of former Irish Athletics Team Manager Patsy McGonagle.
The award was initiated in 2014 and there have been some notable former winners, such as Lauren Callaghan, Hannah Murray, Lucy McGlynn, Caolan McFadden and Riona Doherty.
“It is a great honour for a school to get an award like this, due mainly to the sheer numbers involved,” McGonagle said. “Previous winners have gone on to win numerous national titles, vindicating the confidence shown by giving them the awards. The engagement from local schools is enthusiastic and positive. That school link is absolutely key.”