Finn Valley AC’s Sommer Lecky was named as the U20 Athlete of the Year at Athletics Ireland’s National Athletics Awards this afternoon.
In July at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, Lecky leapt to a stunning silver medal.
The Castlederg teenager broke her own PB as she cleared the bar at 1.90 metres, breaking the Irish junior record in the process.
Lecky has had a sensational 2018 and was one of the Donegal awards winners at this afternoon’s function.
She was tenth at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April.
In between that and the World U20s, she took a gold at the Belfast International Meet and silver at the Bauhaus Junior Gala in Germany, having earlier won gold at the Irish Indoor Championships.
Lecky’s coach, Niall Wilkinson, was the recipient of a European Coaching award.
Paddy Marley was given a Lifetime Services to Athletics award.
Paddy is a member of the Athletics Ireland competition committee and previously served for 14 years as National Competition Secretary.
A native of Milford, he was one of the leading lights in the early years of athletics in Donegal and is with Clonliffe Harriers in Dublin now. Marley was with the Irish Athletics Team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Eamon Harvey picked up a Services to Coaching award.
The Tir Chonaill AC man, a former PE teacher in Abbey Vocational School, served as a Regional Development Officer for Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan
He was a coach Irish athletes for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and also coached Paralympic star Bridie Lynch from St Johnston.
Eamon Giles, a founder member of the Cranford AC, was made an Honorary Life Vice President, alongside the legendary Maeve Kyle.
Brendan Boyce was one of the nominees for Endurance Athlete of the Year, but Alex Weight took that prize.
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