Westmeath walker excels at European Track & Field Championships

Westmeath's Oisín Lane produced an impressive personal best as he shone for Ireland at the European Track & Field Championships in Birmingham last Saturday.

Ballymore's Lane, representing the Mullingar Harriers club in the men's half marathon walking race, delivered a most encouraging performance, taking almost three minutes from his previous best to finish eleventh in 1:27:09.

A son of well-known schoolteacher and walking enthusiast, Michael Lane, Oisín paced his race impressively, moving from 17th at halfway to eleventh by the finish.

David Kenny (Farranfore-Maine Valley AC) also produced a brilliant performance in the same race, and produced a superb 1:24:49 personal best to finish sixth in Europe, just one minute outside the medals at his first European Championships.

Mullingar Harriers AC described Lane's performance as 'brilliant'.

'With both men and women races starting together, the course soon became quite crowded and it was quite a spectacle for the large crowd of supporters, including a lot of Irish and a terrific number from Mullingar Harriers, to watch over 100 athletes racing on the tight-looped course that meant the athletes came around regularly and could be cheered on enthusiastically every time they passed', the club said.

'Oisin stuck to his race plan and carefully negotiated the tight turns, uphill and downhill sections, differing surfaces, always under the scrutiny of the judges, and was in the middle of the pack for much of the race. He moved through the field over the final few kilometres and raced home in a brilliant eleventh place, which is a brilliant result', the club added.

Spain's Paul McGrath claimed gold in 1:23:23, ahead of Italy's Francesco Fortunato (1:23:36) and Andrea Cosi (1:23:49). McGrath was born and raised in Barcelona with a Spanish mother and a Scottish father, and has Irish grandparents.