FINN Valley AC Update

FINN Valley AC twins Roisin and Eilish Flanagan receded lifetime bests in the 3000m on Tuesday evening in Italy,

At the 57th staging of the Palio Citta' Della Quercia in Rovereto, Roisin Flanagan finished 11th in 8:57.79.

Twin sister Eilish Flanagan finished 12th in 8:58.46.

The meet at the Stadio Quercia was part of the World Athletics continental tour silver level series.

The new PBs for the Gortin women complete an encouraging season that included a 3000m steeplechase PB for Eilish at the Olympic Games.

The Flanagans will now take a break before regrouping ahead of the Cross-Country season. 

They will compete for Finn Valley AC in the National Senior Cross-Country Championships in November, with a view to both winning the senior team competition for the club and making the Irish team for the European Cross-Country Championships.

Gavin McLaughlin set a new Donegal discus record at the Donegal Athletics Championships, which were held at Finn Valley on Sunday.

The Convoy man captured the discus title as he launched out to 46.96m, improving on the 46.53m he recorded in June at the Antrim Forum.

McLaughlin continues his upward trajectory and is aiming to break the 50m barrier at some point in the near future.

James Kelly won the senior men’s shot put title, throwing a best of 16.56m to complete a topsy-turvy season for the St Johnston man.

A season’s best of beyond 17m offers him encouragement for the next year, which will be his last as an under-23 athlete.

Cara Laverty took the 800m title comfortably while Hannah Murray maintained her recent form with the U17 200m gold.

There were golds, too, for Bobby Hennigan in the U17 800m, Nuala Bose in the U18 3000m, Oisin Toye in the U19 3000m and Kathy Bannigan in the senior triple jump.

Brian Ó Domhnaill took the men’s 1500m walk title.

Gavin McLaughlin was the shot put silver medalist while there were also silvers for Oisin Thompson (U18 100m), Emer O’Brien (U18 800m), Diarmait Keogh (U19 3000m), Joseph Gillespie (senior long jump and triple jump) and Natasha Kelly (senior 3000m).

Master athlete Bosco Reid won discus, hammer and shot put titles while Finn Valley’s Ciara Kearns won 200m gold and Frankie Murray claimed a gold in a 200m and the silver in a 100m.

John McElhill was fourth in the Donegal Half Marathon on Sunday morning, finishing in 1:13:42 with Dermot McElchar in sixth (1:14:45).

Six Finn Valley AC athletes will compete at the British and Irish Mountain Running Championships on September 4 in County Down.

Oisin Toye, Diarmait Keogh and Sean McGinley have been chosen on the Under-20 boys squad with Nuala Bose and Sarah Bradley included among the Under-20 girls squad and Eimear McCarroll is on the Under-17 girls squad

The Valley Bar & Bistro is once again open for business: Friday 4.30-11.30pm; Saturday 2pm-11.30pm; Sunday 12noon-11.30pm. Please direct all bookings to 087-2847912.