On a week of notable performances across the globe by Finn Valley AC athletes, Mark English once again provided the highlight.
At a loaded Diamond League meet in France on Friday evening, English clocked another sub-1:44 performance.
Mark English at the Diamond League in Paris.
He finished the 800m in 1:43.98 to continue his scintillating season with another cracking time among some of the world’s leading 800m runners.
The time was actually the second fastest of his career – just 0.06 of a second outside his national record.
Roisin Flanagan (below) returned to winning ways with victory over 3000m in Finland on Saturday.
A season’s best 8:55.87 took her to first place at the Motonet GP Kuortane meet, setting her up nicely for this weekend’s European Teams Championships, where she will be joined in Slovenia by FVAC colleague Arlene Cross.
Flanagan will compete over 5000m with Arlene chosen in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay.
Finn Valley AC’s Roisin Flanagan.
Over in the US, at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia, Finn Valley AC athlete Sophia Thompson helped Union Catholic to a new High School national record on Sunday.
Sophia ran the opening leg as Union Catholic won the distance medley relay in 11:12.20.
Taylor Aska, Kayla Devine and Paige Shepard also ran as they obliterated the previous record of 11:20.44.
In the one mile championship race at the same meet, Sophia finished in 4:41.84 for eighth.
That time would go in as a new Irish U18 national record for Sophia, whose father Terry is a native of Letterkenny. Interestingly her 1500m split of 4:22.79 is well inside the European Q mark of 4:25 and she is rapidly becoming one to watch.
Finn Valley AC athletes Paraic McGettigan and Leah O’Gara won medals at the Tailteann Games in Carlow, both leaving with bronze.
Paraic, a student at St Columba’s College in Stranorlar, took bronze in the 1500m steeplechase, finishing in 4:44.60.
Leah left with bronze from the 3000m walk as the Loreto Secondary School student clocked 16:10.98 for third.
In the 200m, Jessica Gavin was sixth while Leona Slevin placed 10th in the long jump.
The National Children’s Games and U12 Championships were held in Tullamore on Sunday.
The Finn Valley AC U10 boys who bagged gold.
The U10 boys won gold in the relay team, with the Finn Valley AC squad comprising Eunan McGinty Jude Martin, Caedan McMenamin, Eoghan Cunningham and Clayson Porter.
There was a silver for the U9 girls, the FVAC squad including Rhea Moy, Aine Moy, Ella Gallagher, Elise Lafferty and Blathnaid McLaughlin.
The U12 boys of Lucas Lindsay, Darragh Coyle, Brody McMenamin and Zach McKinley finished fourth, while the U12 girls finished fifth overall with Eve Maguire’s Fia McNulty, Fiadh Venzon and Ceola McGlinchey in action.
Malea Griffin and Rhea Moy won silver in U9 and Jude Martin and Blake Keenan teamed up for U10 bronze with Rhea Moy and Elise Lafferty taking first place in the U9 long jump.
Finn Valley AC’s Ceola McGlinchey took gold on Sunday.
Ceola McGlinchey got over at 1.31m, a new PB to win the high jump golds and a gutsy run by Zach McKinley saw him take the U12 600m silver.
At the Ulster Masters Track and Field Championships on Saturday, Finn Valley AC enjoyed great success.
Bosco Reid left with five medals – three gold and two silver – while Jaqueline Doherty and Gerard Doherty shared five medals between them – and there were golds for the ever-green Kay Byrne and Catriona Devine with Garvin Boyce helping himself to a bronze medal.
Bosso won gold in the M65 hammer, shot and weight for distance, adding silver in the discus and javelin events.
There were golds, too, for Catriona Devine in the W50 1500m, Kay Byrne in the W60 3000m and Jacqueline Doherty in the W50 weight for distance.
Jacquline added silver in the hammer and bronze in the shot while Gerard Doherty bagged silver in the M55 hammer and bronze in the weight throw with Garvin Boyce taking a fine bronze in the M50 1500m.
Last Wednesday, we had athletes in action at the UCD Athletics Meet at Belfield.
Finn Valley AC’s Ciarán McCarroll clocked a new PB over 400m, going 50.27 seconds and his sister Eimear McCarroll finished her 800m in 2:14.
Castlefin native Hannah Murray, now on scholarship at UCD, went through her 400m in 57.58 seconds.
On Saturday evening, Oisin Toye was in action at a BMC meet in Loughborough University, clocking 3:51.62 over 1500m.
Oisín Ó Gailín had a fine week on the local road race circuit.
Last Tuesday, he scorched to victory at the Glenswilly GAA 5k in a scintillating 14:18 – a new course record.
The time may be a little down on Oisín’s recent Donegal 5k record (14:02), clocked in Boston, but it still represents one of the fastest 5ks ever clocked by a Donegal athlete – and one of the fastest times over the distance set in the county, too.
He followed up on Thursday night when winning the Scoil Taobhóige 6k. Oisin won in 21:47 with Orla Friel, of the Finn Valley AC Fit4Life group, coming through in 29:04 as the first woman home.
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