Dundalk athlete dominates proceedings at World Championships

Dundalk is a town that loves it’s sport and it is used to seeing some great heroes welcomed back having conquered the competition. You only have to look to the recent jubilation that Amy Broadhurst’s triumphs on the world stage brought, or of course the exploits of Dundalk FC this past decade.

But away from the TV cameras and the national spotlight, another hero of the town has been bringing the Wee County once again to the world stage. This time in the cutthroat world of Masters Athletics.

The World Masters Athletics Championships 2022 took place in Tampere Finland over the course of 12 days, from June 29 – July 10, 2022. This high calibre event sees the best athletes over the age of 35 years fighting it  out for supremacy.

Geraldine Finegan, who hails from Church Street, Dundalk, is one of the countries most decorated athletes at this level of the sport.

And competing in the Over 55 section she did not disappoint, coming home with five medals, three bronze, one silver and an unforgettable team Gold. A medal haul never reached at one games before by an Irish competitor.  

“I have been competing over 40 years now and have lots of experience, but you never know what is going to happen on the day” explained Finegan when speaking to the Democrat. “It’s very exciting and winning medals is the icing on the cake.

“I hold six World records and have 76 World and European medals for Ireland now. Although the medal is just a piece of metal, it means so much to stand while your national anthem is being played and the feeling of being strong, fast, and fit is hard to beat.”

As can be expected, her medals didn’t come easy, given the high level of competition in the field. She began her quest for glory in the heptathlon, a gruelling event that encompasses seven disciplines. Standing in her way was world record holder Petra Bejeat from France.

Showing the class on offer, a new world record was set by Germany’s Barbara Gayling. Finnegan couldn’t match this but did finish with a new Lifetime best score of 5827 points, which smashed the Irish record by over 300 as she picked up the bronze medal.

The following day she was in action in the javelin and pole vault. Tired, sore, and exhausted, she was simply below her normal, world class best. Despite being unfocused, she ended up finishing fifth in the javelin with an Irish record throw.

Primed with a two day break she was now ready to fight back in her much stronger discipline, the 300M hurdles, setting herself up nicely for the first of four more trips to the podium.  

“The World champion did not check in due her tired sore legs from the heptathlon which left a smile on my face knowing I had to contend only with one other fast athlete" she noted.

"The Australian, Pippa Wright, looked very good in real life, with muscles to die for, but I wanted that silver medal more than she did. My main goal was to break the national record of 54.6 seconds.

“With 100 to go Wright fell, she was 10 metres behind me. I had to jump the last hurdle with the wrong lead leg and while almost stumbling, I was still able to speed up, giving a final push to see the clock read 53.05.”

Things didn’t get any easier for Finegan a day later, with the 80M Hurdles, triple jump and 4X100 Relay Race all set to take place and the Dundalk woman was hungry to find success in all three events.

First up was the hurdles race, where she remarkably again set a new Irish record, 13.67, which was enough to grab third spot in the final. The triple jump and 4x100 events overlapped and this meant she didn’t have as many attempts to jump as she would have liked.

Needing time to go and prepare for the running, Finegan required a strong early attempt, as time constraints meant she might not get as many jumps as other athletes.

Luckily, she was in the medals with her first attempt, a new national record of 9.35M, her best jump in four years enough to capture a third bronze of the games. This allowed her the time to switch attentions to running, getting her sprinting spikes on as Team Ireland went searching for success.

“I ran as close to the white line and bend as was legally allowed and handed the baton to Edel Maguire from Dublin who took it home and surprised the bigger countries with little Ireland winning Gold in 58 seconds.

“Hearing the Irish national anthem being played as the whole group of athletes applauded your achievements was a wonderful moment. For some athletes like Carol Kearney from Lucan, it was her first world medal so it was extra exciting to make her dream come true.”

Finegan is a member of the Dundalk North East Runners club, where she has of course become a great ambassador to the younger members in the club hoping to make an impact in the sport.

“I have coached numerous local athletes to World and European level and this is a great satisfaction for me, to see the young girls following in my footsteps and breaking national records and being selected for international trips.

“I feel I am mother to all these children, as once you start coaching them at 7/8 years of age, they are always in touch and excited to tell me how they are winning. That brings me as much pleasure as winning."

Speaking about what keeps her motivated having already achieved so much in a glittering career in athletics, the former Church Street resident spoke about she how much she still enjoys meeting up with old friends and foes, as well as the buzz of continuing to push herself to the limits.

“I love competing, the thrill of meeting old friends, seeing their faces, hugging and catching up with how life has been for them, that is lovely. Especially since covid has stopped a lot of meet ups.

“I also love the opportunity to improve myself. My times can only get better if you’re pushed at the top level. There is no point doing good times in training, you need to do it when it matters at World or Europeans championships."