 Finn in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 December 1989 |
| Education | Western Kentucky University [1] University of Limerick [2] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Ireland |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Updated on 29 August 2015 | |
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.
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]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 24th (h) | 3000 m s'chase | 9:46.93 |
Sonia O'Sullivan is an Irish former track and field athlete. She won a gold medal in the 5000 metres at the 1995 World Championships, and a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2000 Olympic Games. Her 2000 m world record of 5:25.36, set in 1994 stood until 2017.
Joanne Cuddihy is an Irish sprint athlete, competing for the Kilkenny City Harriers.
Fionnuala McCormack is an Irish runner who has competed at a range of distance running events. She was the gold medallist at the 2011 and 2012 European Cross Country Championships, become the first woman to successfully defend the title. She has represented Ireland in the steeplechase at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and 2011 World Championships in Athletics, and twice at the European Athletics Championships.
Jennifer Simpson is an American middle- and long-distance runner, formerly a steeplechaser. She won the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 2011 World Championships, silvers at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event.
Deirdre Ryan is an Irish high jumper. She competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Habiba Ghribi is a Tunisian middle- and long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, giving her country its first Olympic medal by a woman. She is also the Tunisian record holder in the event, having run 9:05.36 at the Memorial van Damme in Brussels in September 2015.
Emma Jane Coburn is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000-meters steeplechase. She holds the distinction of being a world champion, world silver medalist, Olympic bronze medalist, three-time Olympian and 10-time US National Champion in the steeplechase.
Genevieve Gregson is an Australian athletics competitor who specialized in the 3000 metre steeplechase but for the 2024 Olympics qualified for and was selected to run for Australia in the marathon. She qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and ran 9:26.11 in her Women's 3000m steeplechase heat to qualify for the final. Unfortunately she fell, rupturing her Achilles tendon, and was unable to complete the race.
Michelle "Shelly" Jenneke is an Australian hurdler and model. She won a silver medal for the 100 m hurdles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and the 100 m hurdles at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games. In 2012, she received worldwide media attention after her pre-race warm-up dance went viral on the internet and was featured in the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Shalaya Kipp is an American middle-distance runner who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Sara Louise Treacy is an Irish runner who competes primarily in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented her country at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing without qualifying for the final. She also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Kerry O'Flaherty is an Irish runner competing primarily in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She competed at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing without qualifying for the final. O'Flaherty competed in the 2016 Olympic Games. She has also competed at two European Championships and one European Indoor Championships.
Courtney Frerichs is an American middle-distance runner and steeplechase specialist from Nixa, Missouri, She is a three-time silver medalist in the 3000 meters steeplechase capturing silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the 2017 World Championships in London and at the 2018 World (Continental) Cup in Ostrava. In 2021, she became the first American woman to run under nine-minutes in a women’s 3000-meters steeplechase event with a time of 8:57.77; establishing an American and Area record. She is a two-time Olympian making the US team in 2016 and 2020. In both of her Olympic Trials she finished second to US National Champion, Emma Coburn.
Ciara Mageean is a middle-distance runner from Portaferry in Northern Ireland who specialises in the 1500 metres. She is the 2024 European Athletics Championships gold medalist at the distance, the first individual Irish European champion since Sonia O'Sullivan.
Lizzie Lee is an Irish marathon runner. She qualified for the 2016 Olympics where she finished 57th.
Anna Emilie Møller is a Danish athlete competing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics without qualifying for the final. In her heat, however, she set the new national and European junior record in the event.
Peruth Chemutai is a Ugandan steeplechase runner. She won the gold medal in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic medal.
The women's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the London Olympic Stadium on 9 and 11 August.
Rhasidat Adeleke is an Irish sprinter.
Eilish Flanagan is an Irish long distance runner. She competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2020 Olympics.
