Long Jump star Callaghan continues to excel

Finn Valley AC athlete Lauren Callaghan has added another centimetre onto the Ulster long jump record.
Competing at the Moore-Guldensporenmeeting in Kortrijk, Belgium on Saturday, Callaghan jumped out to 6.51m.
The mark is a new Ulster, Donegal and FVAC club record. The event was won by Australian Brooke Buschkuehl, a three-time Olympian who went to 6.92m while Dutch Olympian Pauline Hondema was second.
Finn Valley AC’s Sommer Lecky was also in action in Belgium, clearing 1.71m for fifth in the high jump.
This weekend, the focus turns to the European U18 Championships in Italy.
Finn Valley AC athletes Tara Rose Smith and Leah O’Gara have been selected as part of the Irish squad for the Championships, which take place in Rieti.
Tara Rose is selected for the 800m and Leah is included for the 5000m race walk.
The National Juvenile Championships came to a close at the weekend and there was golden glory for Finn Valley AC’s Katie Louise McMonagle, who won the U19 long jump
McMonagle opened up with a 4.99m jump, but was beyond 5m in four of her next five jumps. In her final three visits to the sand, McMonagle recorded leaps of 5.30m and 5.32m twice to prise the golden nugget from her rivals.
Cabinteely AC’s Eva Munnelly took silver with a 5.26m and Ariana Silvestre from Fingallians left with the bronze, going to 5.25m.
Finn Valley AC athlete Stephen Slevin tied for silver in the U19 high jump. Slevin and Peter Bellew of Cushinstown AC both went over at 1.75m while gold medallist James Kelsey from Gowran AC cleared 1.80m.
In the U15 250m hurdles, Jasmine Barrett Doherty placed fourth. The Finn Valley AC athlete clocked a personal best of 38.84 seconds and was just 0.29 of a second from a podium spot.
Joe Wright from Finn Valley AC cleared 1.85m to finish fourth in the U18 high jump, while his brother John Wright was fifth in the U16 long jump thanks to a best leap of 5.66m while Sam O’Donnell (Olympian) was 10th, going to 5.17m in the same event, and Caoimhe McNeill of Finn Valley was 10th in the U15 1500m in 5:01.51;.
At the Morton Games on Friday night there was a superb win for Finn Valley AC’s Odhrán McBrearty in the Jerry Kieran U20 men’s mile.
McBrearty showed excellent maturity and drive to win in 4:15.55, holding off the strong advances of Tom Flemming, the CDNR Tack AC athlete who was just 0.27 of a second behind as they crossed the line at Morton Stadium.
Also at the Morton Games, in the men’s shot John Kelly placed 10th (16.90m)
The National B Championships were held on Sunday and Finn Valley AC’s Ruairi Moss took bronze in the U13 long jump. Moss recorded a best leap of 4.11m to place third, just 4cm off Isaac Eivers from Clongriffin AC second. Zachary Marc of Kilkenny City Harriers won the gold via a 4.38m jump.
Shay McHugh from Finn Valley AC was the U13 600m bronze medal winner, going 1:46.69.
Katie Thompson of Finn Valley AC was fourth in the U13 long jump, going to 4.05m; Ciara McCusker from Finn Valley placed fifth in the U15 800m in 2:40.19; Aoibheann Moss from Finn Valley was fifth in the U14 high jump at 1.30m.
On Thursday night, Finn Valley AC’s Oisin Toye won the Damien O’Brien Memorial 5k in Glenfin. Oisin came home in 15 minutes and 47 seconds, while Maggie O’Hara was the first woman home, the Finn Valley AC athlete crossing the line in 19:31.
Around 900 people came out to toe the line in the memorial run/walk in memory of Damien O’Brien who tragically lost his life in a road traffic collision in California last year. This run and walk was in aid of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. Well done to all organisers and volunteers on a real show of community spirit.