Finn ready for European Indoors
ANTICIPATION surrounds a key Cork representation at the European Indoor Athletic Championships in Torun (Poland) this weekend. Upwards of 23 athletes are participating including previous medallist Mark English though disappointment for Ciara Mageean on forced to withdraw owing to injury.
Cork hopes rest with Darragh McElhinney, Michelle Finn, Joan and Phil Healy. Castlemagner native Finn is first into action on Friday morning in the opening heat to the Women’s 3,000 metres.
The Leevale athlete holds plenty of experience, a bronze medallist from an Irish team at the 2014 European Cross Country Championships, Finn has also competed at World Championships in Beijing and Doha and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Dublin based teacher is lightly raced this year but expressed satisfaction on her current form.
“I enjoyed a really good training camp in Portugal after Christmas. That was followed by two races in France where I recorded PBs for the distance,” said Finn.
Looking forward to competing, Finn is hopeful of reaching the final but knows that tactical battles are often employed in a bid to progress or be in with a chance of a medal.
“Looking at the timetable, the heat is the first event on the track, it would be positive to get Ireland off to a great start. I want to be competitive as I can, maybe run a PB, but the race may well be tactical,” she said. Cork’s Phil Healy will target a final as will 800m record breakers Siofra Cleirigh Buttner and Nadia Power, along with Andrew Coscoran, Sean Tobin and John Travers.
Bantry native Darragh McElhinney is a star of the future and will earn valuable senior championship experience from his European debut.
Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Paul McNamara is hopeful of strong performances by the Ireland team.
“It has been a remarkable indoor season so far in 2021, for many reasons, and this is reflected in both the size and quality of the team travelling to Poland. Despite higher qualification standards and fewer opportunities to compete, Irish athletes nailed their opportunity when it presented itself with many more who have posted qualification standards missing out due to the three-athlete-per-event limit,” he said.