Michelle Finn (steeplechaser)

Michelle Finn (born 16 December 1989) is an Irish runner competing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented Ireland in the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio; she finished 11th in her heat. Previously she had also represented Ireland at the 2015 World Championships.

For the American sprinter, see Michelle Finn-Burrell.

Michelle Finn
Finn in 2019
Personal information
Born (1989-12-16) 16 December 1989
EducationWestern Kentucky University[1]
University of Limerick[2]
Sport
Country Ireland
SportAthletics
Updated on 29 August 2015.

Biography

Finn grew up in Castlemagner.[3] She was born 16 December 1989 to Mary and Toddy Finn.[4]

Finn was a four-year scholarship athlete for Western Kentucky University,[5] majoring in communications.[6] She received a master's degree in nutrition.[7] She also spent two years at the University of Limerick.[8]

Finn placed second at the GloHealth Cross-country Championships which qualified her to compete for Ireland in the 2014 European Cross Country Championships held in Bulgaria.[9] The team won a bronze medal and she placed 23rd in the event.[4]

She qualified for the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics after running a 9:43.34 at the 2015 Letterkenny AC International.[10] Finn finished the 2015 World Championships 3000m steeplechase in 9:55.27 for ninth in her heat. She did not advance to the finals.[11]

Finn ran the 3000m steeplechase at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She passed three competitors during the final stretch to come in 11th with a time of 9:49.45.[12][13] She had the 39th fastest time in the heats and did not advance to the finals.[14]

In February 2018, Finn suffered a stress fracture in her foot and had to modify her training schedule to accommodate it.[15] To qualify for the European Championships, Finn needed to run under 9:55 in two qualifying events. On 18 July she finished a race in France with 9:51.43, leaving one more time to qualify for the European Championships. On the first water jump in a race on 25 July Finn landed awkwardly and sprained her ankle. She considered dropping out of the race but pressed on and finished in 9:56.03, just over the time required for the B qualification standard. With her last chance to qualify four days later and with her doctor's approval, she raced at the Irish Athletics Championships, finishing with a time of 9:46.19.[16] In the 2018 European Championships she finished 16th in her heat with a time of 10:10.93.[17]

She qualified for the 2019 World Championships in Qatar. She finished ninth in her heat with a time of 9:47.44, saying that her time was affected by misjudging the first barrier.[18] In July 2019, Finn set a PB of 9:41.23 during a race in Finland.[19] Finn won the Sydney Track Classic and set a new personal best time of 9:38.04.[20] Finn, who joined the Melbourne Track Club in January 2020, is training for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.[21]

Competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Ireland
2013 Universiade Kazan, Russia 7th 3000 m s'chase 10:03.28
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 33rd (h) 3000 m s'chase 9:55.27
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 39th (h) 3000 m s'chase 9:49.45
2017 Universiade Taipei, Taiwan 14th 3000 m s'chase 10:40.06
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 30th (h) 3000 m s'chase 9:47.44
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland 16th (h) 3000 m 9:05.44
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 27th (h) 3000 m s'chase 9:36.26
2022 European Championships Munich, Germany 14th 3000 m s'chase 9:47.57

References
  1. "Michelle Finn". 2013 Universiade. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016.
  2. "Michelle Finn Bio". 2017 Universiade. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. Blake, Ben (25 July 2016). "Meet Ireland's Olympic Team: Michelle Finn". The 42. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  4. "Michelle wins bronze with Irish team in Euro Cross Country C'ships". The Corkman. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  5. O'Riordan, Ian (30 July 2016). "Michelle Finn – Athletics". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  6. "Relaxing Read". Bowling Green Daily News. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  7. "No stopping Cork's Flying Finns". The Corkman. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  8. O'Donovan, Mark (16 July 2015). "Michelle Makes the Grade". The Corkman.
  9. "Kanturk runner selected on Irish team for European Cross-country Championships". The Corkman. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  10. "Three Irish athletes run Olympic qualifying times in Letterkenny". The Irish Times. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  11. O'Riordan, Ian (24 August 2015). "More disappointment for Irish on day three in Beijing". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  12. O'Riordan, Ian (13 August 2016). "Sara Treacy makes 3,000m steeplechase final after successful appeal". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  13. "3000 Metres Steeplechase Women". Rio 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  14. "Finn finishes 39th in 3,000-meter steeplechase, doesn't make finals". Daily News. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  15. "B Standard For Michelle In Belgium". Leevale Athletic Club. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  16. Dennehy, Cathal (31 July 2018). "How Michelle Finn defied the odds". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  17. "European Championships 2018: Ciara Mageean cruises through to 1500m final". BBC. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  18. O'Riordan, Ian (27 September 2019). "Thomas Barr cool and clear over first hurdle in Doha". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  19. "Kerry O'Flaherty: Olympian's season over after she breaks foot in Spanish race". BBC. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  20. O'Riordan, Ian (23 February 2020). "Kevin Seaward runs second fastest Irish marathon time to qualify for Olympics". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  21. O'Riordan, Ian (29 February 2020). "Ian O'Riordan: getting inside the secret of the Dublin Track Club". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
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