Trio going for gold…

THREE local athletes have been selected for the Northern Ireland team to compete in this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

The Flanagan twins, Eilish and Roisin, have both been named in the 15-strong team along with Castlederg high jumper Sommer Lecky.

It will be a second appearance for Lecky, who recorded a top-10 finish at the Gold Coast Games in 2018.

However, this year’s Commonwealth Games, which begin in Birmingham on July 28, will be a first for the Flanagan sisters from Gortin. The talented trio of athletes, who are all members of Finn Valley AC, have been enhancing their reputations in the international arena in recent years and this latest selection is further recognition of their rapid progress in track and field.

The Flanagan twins (25),
who both graduated from a scholarship at Adams State University in the US, are long distance specialists.

Back in December the pair represented Ireland in the European Cross Country Championships which were staged in Dublin and last summer Eilish broke the NI record and posted a PB in the 3K steeplechase at the Olympic Games in Japan.

Meanwhile, Lecky’s selection won’t come as any great surprise either given she has been one of leading athletes in the country over recent years.

A consistently high performer, the 22-year-old Derg woman has won a plethora of medals and awards since bursting onto the athletics scene as a star of the future.

Back in 2018, the former Strabane Academy student secured silver at the European U20 Championships in Finland with an almighty leap of 1.90m.