A decathlon to remember for Dundalk athlete Finegan – Châteauroux 2026

A European first, a world-record attempt, and an experience I will never forget. The 2026 season has given me many memorable moments, but my decathlon in Châteauroux will stay with me for a very long time.

This competition was particularly special because it was organised as a European women’s decathlon, something still very new in our sport. The women’s decathlon has only recently been formally accepted.

However, I have been competing in the event myself for the past ten years, since I was 50, travelling, competing and winning in decathlons around the world.

To be part of this event in Châteauroux was therefore something quite historic. But what made it truly special was not simply the competition.

It was the people.From the moment we arrived, the organisation was exceptional. There were officials and volunteers everywhere, and everything was made so easy for the athletes.

Many of the French volunteers even spoke English to me, which was incredibly kind and made me feel very welcome.

There were children cheering from the side of the track, crowds applauding, and the wonderful smell of French food drifting across the stadium while we were competing.

It was almost impossible not to smile while running!And then there was the wonderful Colette Ruineau, the president of the CNAM organisation.

What I admire most about Colette is that she doesn’t simply organise athletics – she lives it.

While carrying the responsibility of being president and helping to run the competition, she also competed herself in the heptathlon and completed the demanding two-day event to a very high standard.

She didn’t choose an easy event. She chose one of the hardest.She had to sprint, jump, throw and run and still find the energy to organise and support everybody else.

To me, that is exactly what women in sport should represent: strength, determination, energy and the ability to do many things at once.

Colette set the example rather than simply talking about it. She brought passion, warmth and professionalism to the whole event.And she managed to look fantastic while doing it!

The competitionFor me, the competition itself was always going to be a challenge.I arrived in Châteauroux determined to break 8,000 points.

After the opening event, however, I knew that goal was probably slipping away. The conditions were not helping.

The second day brought strong winds, with headwinds around minus three and minus four metres per second and gusts even stronger at times.

As the day went on, the wind seemed to strengthen while the temperature dropped slightly.That made the final event, the 1500 metres, particularly difficult.

I needed a very fast 1500m to get me into world-record territory, and I knew that was going to be extremely difficult in those conditions.

But sometimes athletics isn’t about getting everything perfect.Sometimes it is about taking on the challenge anyway.

And that final 1500m became one of the most memorable races I have ever run.The final 1500 metres.

All of the athletes ran together, all ages categories and I was incredibly lucky to have the support of two men who understood exactly what I was trying to achieve.

One of them, André, changed his own race tactics to help me. He was one of the few athletes who could run fast enough to give me the pace

I needed.The plan was simple: get behind him, stay protected from the wind and try to maintain a pace that would bring me close to six minutes.

For two laps, two men worked in front of me.Then one of them slowed and looked back at me as if to say, Come on, it’s your turn now. The other, Andre, stayed with me until the final 300 metres.

I was sitting behind him, desperately trying to conserve whatever energy I had left, when he slowed down, looked at me and said:“Go now.”

I couldn’t believe it. In the middle of his own race, he was telling me to go and chase my own goal.So I did.I went into the final 300 metres not knowing whether I could hold the pace.

Then I came around the final bend.And suddenly the whole stadium seemed to explode. People were shouting my name.

They had been cheering every lap, but the final lap was something completely different. The noise lifted me.

The lady on the microphone had spent the whole competition telling people about me, where I came from and what I had achieved. She had made me feel like a superstar.

And for one day, I felt like one.The funny thing is, I don’t consider myself anything special. I’m just another athlete who works hard, turns up and tries to do her best.

But that day in Châteauroux, the officials, volunteers, children, spectators and athletes made me feel very special.I finished the 1500m in 6:04, finishing the decathlon on 7,859 points.

A new world record was just out of reach.I needed roughly 60 more points, which in practical terms can be just seconds in a 1500m, a little more height in the high jump, or a few centimetres in another event.

It was close; my World record is 7912 pts. It is the highest decathlon score of all ages this year for women, including senior ladies.

But instead of being disappointed, I came away incredibly grateful. Because athletics is not only about numbers.

It is about the people you meet, the places you visit, the friends you make and the moments you share.

In Châteauroux, I met wonderful women from France, Germany and elsewhere, and we supported one another throughout the competition.

We were competitors, but we were also friends. That is what I love about masters athletics. We compete against each other, but we also encourage each other.

So my biggest thank you goes to Colette and her entire team in Châteauroux – to every official, every volunteer, every athlete, every child who cheered, every spectator who applauded and especially the wonderful lady on the microphone who made me feel like a superstar.

And to André and his teammate, who gave up part of their own race tactics to help me chase mine:I will never forget that.

I came to Châteauroux looking for 8,000 points.I left with 7,859 points, new friends, incredible memories and a story I will be telling for years.

Sometimes the number on the scoreboard isn’t the thing you take home. Sometimes, it’s the experience; Châteauroux gave me one I will never forget.