Finn Valley AC’s John Kelly and Sommer Lecky set new high marks at the weekend, with Kelly breaking the Donegal shot put record and Lecky setting a new Irish Youth record in the high jump.
Back in 2013 St Johnston man Kelly set a new Irish youth record for the shot at 18.11 – a tremendous mark that still stands and is currently under threat from his young brother James.
Back then and indeed since, you were always wondering could this dedicated young Finn Valley AC member – now just short of 21 years and a 3rd year student at LYIT and the Irish University champion in his event – move on become the next great Irish thrower.
On Sunday in Dublin he got the shot out to a whooping 17.49m – a new Donegal best.Hhe had a 16. 25 from last year and it’s a European B qualifying standard, just 1 cm off an A.
Alongside his father, John senior, they have worked tirelessly over the years to get in the frame and he is heading to Scotland this weekend to ‘drive it on’ as he says himself before he takes in the Irish senior championships in a few weeks.
Since 2014 the Irish Youth girls record in high jump stood at 1.76 and in the space of one week it went to 1.78 in Glasgow and at AAI Games in Dublin Sunday it’s gone to 1.80m.
Sommer Lecky has got 2017 off to a positive start with her coach Niall Wilkinson.
In 2016 she nailed the national senior title at 16 years old an achievement in itself and had a great outing at the Tailteann Games. She was on board in Georgia for European youth championships.
So to 2017 where the target is Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas and European juniors at Grosseto, Italy.
The young Castlederg girl came along many moons ago to the Finn Valley annual primary school athletics as an under7 with her dad, winning the 60m and this exciting career kicked off from there for the Finn Valley AC woman.
