Arlene Crossan enters 54-second territory as Kelly McGrory makes winning hurdles return

Arlene Crossan landed a second notable performance over 400m in a week while Kelly McGrory returned to action over the barriers at the weekend.

A week after breaking the Finn Valley AC 400m record – a mark that stood unbroken for 41 years – Crossan went better again in Belfast.

Crossan won a 400m at the Belfast Irish Milers Meet. The Letterkenny native went into 54-second territory for the first time, scorching home in a new personal best of 54.21 seconds.

Crossan won from Nicole Walsh of Galway City Harriers (54.50) and Kate O'Connell from Lucan Harriers (54.66).

A week earlier, Crossan clocked 55.12 in Dublin.

McGrory holds the Donegal record over 400m – the 53.76 set last weekend in Milan – and a shoot-out this year between the two could well be likely; a battle that may yet be

McGrory was back in action over the 400m hurdles on Saturday.

In the Memorial Matica Šuštaršiča in Patrika Cvetana in the Slovenian city of Kranj, Tir Chonaill AC woman McGrory won a 400m hurdles race in 57.94 seconds.

Back in Belfast, Letterkenny AC's Erin Friel, who is aiming to make it to the European Under-18s with an Irish relay team, won over 200m. Friel won in a new personal best of 25.51 seconds and was also fifth in the 100m, going 12.47 seconds.

Oisin Toye of Finn Valley AC was second in a 1500m, hitting a new PB of 3:47.72 with Murray, from An Riocht, winning in 3:46.47.

In one of the other races over 1500m, Tir Chonaill AC's Shaun Kerrs had a fine win in 4:16.63 and Darragh Naughton of Letterkenny AC won the junior 1000m in 2:42.09.

In the international women's 1500m, Finn Valley's Eimear McCarroll was 12^th in 4:32.60 and her brother Ciaran was fifth in a 400m, going 53.44 while Tir Chonaill AC pair Martin Cunningham (4:05.25) and Ciara Cunningham (5:01.34) were 12^th and 16^th over 1500m.