Leah O’Gara finishes third in Guadix

A new Donegal long jump record and new club record in the process for Finn Valley AC athlete Lauren Callaghan on Friday evening.
At Meeting de Nantes Metropole in France, Lauren won with a 6.34m jump on her third visit to the board.
At Stadium Pierre-Quinon, Lauren actually beat the previous best twice having opened up with a 6.27m leap. Lauren also had a 6.20m jump.
It’s a serious improvement, a jump that is the best so far this year by an Irish athlete – and its fourth on the all-time list, going above Kate O’Connor’s 6.32m.
Last year, Lauren – who is coached by Paul Wilkinson – jumped to 6.25m in Nice and her previous indoor best, 6.24m, was recorded in 2023.
Finn Valley AC race walker Leah O’Gara was third in her race in Guadix on Sunday morning.
In the U18 5k, at the XXXVII Gran Premio de Marcha Atlética Ciudad de Guadix, Leah finished in 26:03 for third.
Leah, who is coached Sinead McConnell, was beaten only by two Spanish athletes and finished as the leading Irish athlete in the race.  The event was part of the World Athletics Race Walking Tour.
Mark English placed third on Sunday evening in the 800m at Meeting Indoor de Lyon in France. Mark nipped in to finish in 1:46.63 and just pipped for second by Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse (1:46.62) on the line and the race was won by Algeria’s Mohamed Ali Gouaned in 1:45.85.
Round one of the National Indoor League took place at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin on Saturday with the Finn Valley AC women sitting in sixth and the FVAC men 10th after the opening day of action.
Arlene Crossan has clocked a new club record for the indoor 200m. Arlene – who competed at the European Indoors and the European Teams Championships in 2025 – finished in 24.34 seconds to take 14 points, lowering her previous PB and club record of 24.44 in the process.
Arlene came second in her heat, bettered only by Dundrum South Dublin’s Mollie O’Reilly, who was 0.04 of a second quicker in 24.30.
The ever-reliable Bridget McDyer won the women’s weight for distance, throwing to a best of 6.49m for maximum points in the event..
Noeleen Scanlan was second in the women’s 3000m, finishing in 10:12.01, beaten only by Dundrum South Dublin’s Holly Carroll with Helena Butterly of Clonliffe third.
Tara Rose Smith ran a 2:13.31 to win her 800m heat, Ciaran McCarroll was third quickest in the men’s 800m, Oisin Toye was fifth in the men’s 3000m while Stephen Slevin went out to 11.30m for sixth in the men’s triple jump.
The men’s 4x400m relay team – Mark Kearns, Ciaran McCarroll, Odhran McBrearty and Odhran Rodgers – stopped the clock at 3:33.88 for second in their heat and sixth overall.
Seamus McGranaghan’s 4.16m was ninth in the men’s weight throw, while Beth Malone leaped out to a best of 8.06m in the women’s triple jump and in the men’s 200, Noah Beales finished in 24.29.
The women’s 4x400m relay team of Beth Malone, Katie Louise McMonagle, Tara Rose Smith and Erin Sproule finished in 4:49.56.
There were also some guest events held in the NIA. Amy Timoney recorded a new 60m sprint PB of 7.73 seconds to win her race before placing fourth in the second outing, clocking 7.77 seconds.
FVAC’s Odhran McBrearty (4:03.56) and Mark Kearns (4:03.86) were second and third in a 1500m with Paraic McGettigan (4:14.50) seventh in the same race while Catriona Devine was the leading woman over 1500m in 5:13.77 and Erin Sproule did a 1:07.44 400m.
Well done once again to all athletes who donned the blue and white vest.
Finn Valley AC athlete Sophia Thompson was one of three Irish athletes in the junior girls international mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.
Sophia, a student at Union Catholic whose father Terry hails from Letterkenny, was fifth in the race, clocking 4:43.41 – excellent going in top class surroundings.
It was great to see an image of former Finn Valley AC athlete Grainne O’Dea with World Athletics Director of Competition Pierce O’Callaghan in Boston at this meeting..
Grainne, from Raphoe, is working as an athlete representative with Pace, the company headed by another former FVAC athlete Ricky Simms.  Grainne herself won the Irish U17 800m in 1996 and headed to the University of South Alabama a year later. In ‘99, her team won the distance medley relay at the Conference Indoor Championships, Grainne going 3:44 over 1200m.
Pierce of course is also a great friend to us here at FVAC and launched Beyond The Line, the club’s official history book.
Enda Doherty and Leoni Cooke led the charge for Finn Valley AC at the Ulster Intermediate and Masters Cross Country Championships in Lurgan.
In the masters women’s race Leoni placed third to help the FVAC team place fourth with Kay Byrne 28th, Martina Quinn 33rd and Ann Marie Bose 47th In the masters men’s race Enda was sixth and the FVAC team finished sixth. Enda was joined by Darren Toland in 23rd, Barry Gallagher in 49th and Michael Penrose 79th.
John Joe Doherty was in action in the Raheny 5 Mile on Sunday and the Finn Valley AC man clocked a new personal best of 24:59. The time saw John Joe place 17th overall.