Ciarán McDonagh beat James Beckford at the Erdgas Indoor meeting in Chemnitz, Germany on 4th March. McDonagh won the long jump with a leap of 7.99m just off his Irish record of 8.00m which he set in Blacksburg, Virginia on 9th February.

Beckford, from Jamaica is three-time World Champion Silver Medallist and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Silver Medal winner. Despite being ranked 17th in the World during the 2006 Indoor campaign, McDonagh has not qualified for the World Championships which takes place in Moscow on the weekend. The IAAF World Indoor Championship standard is 8.10m.

Recently, Ciarán McDonagh, 29, placed 5th in the long jump at the Athína 2006 IAAF Permit meeting in Peánia, Greece on 25th February. McDonagh jumped 7.69m.