Finn and Ashleigh seal brilliant golden double

ONLY two Lifford Strabane AC juvenile athletes, Finn O’Neill alongside Ashleigh McArdle, made it to the Ulster and NI Combined Events Championships at the Mary Peters Track, Belfast.

Due to the recent implemented Covid restrictions, Diarmuid O’Donnell and Emer McFadden were unable to travel outside Co Donegal so therefore had to withdraw from this event which was very unfortunate for them, given their recent training form would have undoubtedly seen them produce podium performances.

Both Finn and Ashleigh, coached by Sharon Gallen and Barry McArdle, performed exceptionally well in all five events which saw both athletes taking gold in their respective age group category.

Finn took a well merited win in the Ulster and NI Combined Boys U15 Events Championships. He achieved personal bests in the High Jump 1.77m, Long Jump 5.77m, Shot Putt 4kg 14.59m and 80m Hurdles 11.73 seconds and ran the 800m in 2mins 6secs for an impressive total of 3290 points, over 1000 points ahead of his nearest opponent!

Ashleigh also had an outstanding day, performing consistently throughout the five events, resulting in two personal best performances in the High Jump 1.54m and in the 75m Hurdles, finishing in 12 seconds. She recorded the following results also: Long Jump 4.88m, Shot Putt 3kg 11.55m and 800m 2min 39seconds to finish with a total of 3064 points to take gold, ranking this young athlete number 2nd overall in the UK Girls U15 Combines.

These fantastic results rank both athletes in the top three placings in the UK U15 Combines, which is an incredible achievement for both athletes and their respective coaches.

FULL STORY IN THURSDAY’S STRABANE CHRONICLE