Irish Cross Country Championships: Michelle Finn and Hiko Tonosa clinch titles
- Published
Hiko Tonosa will represent Ireland in the men's event at next month's European Cross Country Championships in Dublin
Michelle Finn and Hiko Tonosa secured the Irish Cross Country titles in Dublin as Northern Irish pair Roisin Flanagan and Ciara Mageean were third and eighth in the women's race.
Finn finished 12 seconds ahead of another Tokyo Olympian Sarah Healy in the women's race with Tyrone woman Flanagan a further seven seconds back.
All three secure spots for the European Championships in Dublin on 12 December.
Tonosa won the men's title ahead of Darragh McElhinney and Paul O'Donnell.
Ethiopian-born Dundrum South Dublin athlete Tonosa, a member of Feidhlim Kelly's Dublin Track Club, can also look forward to representing Ireland next month along with UCD athlete McElhinney and another DSD athlete O'Donnell.
Mageean, making her return to competitive action after a calf niggle inhibited her performance at the Olympic Games, finished 51 seconds behind women's winner Finn.
The Portaferry woman's best hope of participating in Dublin next month now looks to rest on being selected for the mixed relay event although a number of athletes who finished ahead of her on Sunday may also be feeling that there are deserving of a place in that.
Roisin Flanagan (left) was the leading Northern Irish finisher in the senior races as she placed third in the women's event
Carrickmore woman Flanagan, representing the Finn Valley club, held off Aoibhe Richardson for third spot with Tokyo Olympic marathon athlete Aoife Cooke, Strabane-based Ann-Marie McGlynn and Mary Mulhare also coming in ahead of the county Down woman.
Flanagan could also be joined in the Ireland women's team by her twin sister Eilish, who has been producing impressive cross country form in the US in recent weeks after competing at the Tokyo Olympics in the 3,000m steeplechase.
The sixth-place finish for McGlynn, who was desperately unlucky to miss the Olympic marathon qualifying time by four seconds in April, helped Letterkenny AC clinch the women's club title.
Armagh woman Fionnuala Ross, who recently won the women's event at the Belfast Marathon, had to settle for 17th spot - a minute and 33 seconds adrift of Finn.
In the men's race, Newcastle's Ryan Forsyth was the top Northern Irish finisher in fifth spot - 21 seconds behind Tonosa - as Rio Olympian Paul Pollock had a total off day as he could only manage 31st spot, a minute and 42 seconds off the pace.
In the men's under-20 race, Tyrone man and European Under-20 3,000m gold medallist Nick Griggs continued his impressive 2021 as he took the title in 18 minutes and 14 seconds after being pushed all the way by Ennis' Dean Casey.
With Griggs still only 16, he also won the concurrently run under-18 race.
Willowfield Harriers Emer McKee, who broke the world 5km road race record for a 12-year-old on two occasions this year, finished second in the Under-14 girls race.
