Gold glory for Coogan

MIKE COOGAN

ATHLETICS: FAILSWORTH athlete Mike Coogan secured golden glory at the prestigious European Masters Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Torun, Poland.

Forty two-year-old Coogan, a civil engineer and member of East Cheshire Harriers, represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the competition open to European athletes aged over 35.

He won the 400m race in the over-40 category with a time of 52.37 seconds, then finished third in the 200m event in 23.7 seconds.

Coogan’s Chorlton-based club-mate Rick Beardsell won the 400m race in the over-35 category, in what was the 10th staging of the biennial championships.

A delighted Coogan said: “Rick and I enjoyed a great week in Poland and to return home with gold medals was brilliant.”

Coogan regularly competes in the weekly Alexandra Park run.