Donegal trio selected on Irish squad for World Relays in Botswana

A first senior selection for Erin Friel means that three Donegal athletes will be aboard the plane to Botswana for next month’s World Athletics Relays.

Rising Letterkenny AC ace Friel has been rewarded for her fine form with selection while Arlene Crossan of Finn Valley AC and Tir Chonaill AC’s Fintan Dewhirst have also been chosen.

Friel was a bronze medal winner last year over 400m at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje, Macedonia.

The Newtowncunningham teenager clocked 54.02, a new personal best, to take third in the final while she also competed in the medley relay at the same Championships. Later in the year, Friel ran in the European U20s in Finland with an Irish women’s 4x400m side that finished sixth in their heat.

So far this year Friel - who will move to Florida State University in late summer - won silver in the U19 Indoors. 

The Loreto Secondary School student has also hit a World U20s qualifying time when going 54.20 for silver in the U20 400m final.

Friel’s elevation to the senior ranks is also vindication for coach Kathryn McDevitt, this the first of the protégés from her sprints group to gain senior selection.

Crossan, who ran at the European Indoors and European Teams last year, is also included in the Irish squad. 

The Finn Valley AC athlete took silver in the National Senior Indoor 400m in February. Crossan ran a new Donegal record, 54.12, for 400m silver on a day when she was beaten only by Sharlene Mawdsley.

Dewhirst, a silver medallist at the European U18s in Israel in 2022, is also in the mix.

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Dewhirst took senior 400m silver at the National Indoors, the Glenties man having won his heat in 47.23 before clocking 47.84 in the final.

Friel and Crossan are listed for the women’s 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m while Dewhirst is down for the mixed 4x400m.