Hat-trick of titles for O’Hara

The Southampton star finished Easter Monday’s 10km finale with a new course record of 31min. 0sec. but convinced that main rival Dan Galpin, who had finished level on points, had won the overall title.

Several minutes had passed before O’Hara discovered that had in fact triumphed on head-to-head record.

After Northampton-based Guernsey athlete Galpin won the 5km opener with his maiden sub-15min. run, he proved a brilliant opponent all weekend and Monday was no exception.

On a sun-kissed coastal run from Grandes Rocques to Northside where a mild tailwind made for quick going, Galpin challenged O’Hara for almost the whole duration.

The duo had passed the 5km point at Les Amarreurs in around 15-35 after making a small gap on the strongest Guernsey-based challengers, Steve Dawes and James Priest.

But O’Hara pulled narrowly clear over the following kilometres and breezed over the line to match his personal best exactly.

Despite settling for close second both on the day and overall, Galpin continued his run of PBs with a superb 31-13.

Young O’Hara was overjoyed when he finally realised he had backed up his title successes in 2017 and 2019.

‘Now I’ve realised I’ve won, it’s absolutely brilliant to win it three times,’ he said.

‘It has definitely been a very enjoyable year, having some good races with the lads.

‘It’s a testament to show how well Guernsey Athletics Club has progressed some of the lads who were around my age in 2017 to where they are now. It’s really good to see the Guernsey lads and ladies doing so well.’

Dawes took veteran honours and third overall in 31-39, defying his ageing legs to pip Priest by 2sec. on the sprint. Young Alex Rowe snuck under 32min. for fifth.

Less than a minute later, Thierry Le Cheminant out-sprinted Sammy Galpin in the battle for sixth as both young athletes finished on the same second.

Elle Twentyman emerged a dominant winner of both the race and overall women’s honours.

The Taunton AC runner made the top 10 on the day in 34-14, within half-a-minute of her outstanding PB, for her third individual victory of the weekend.

Although again outshone by Twentyman, Guernsey triathlon star Megan Chapple put in a well-measured race to clock 37-30 for her third individual runner-up spot of the week.

The London-based Chapple also slashed a good 44sec. off her PB from Eastleigh the previous month.

After running her own PB of 39-19, Nix Petit completed the female podium and claimed the bragging rights for top locally-based woman.

But there could only have been one overall winner.

After impressing from start to finish, the ambitious Twentyman admitted she had missed her target times, but the festival as a whole went down a treat.

‘It was a really enjoyable weekend,’ she said.

‘Really well organised and great courses – what better way to spend Easter weekend?

‘The other girls ran really well and hats off to Megan, as it’s really good to run a 5k [17-37] and 10k PB in four days.’

In the previous day’s 4x1 mile cross-country relays at Delancey Park, The Last Minute Team strode to a 57sec. victory over a Pink ‘Panters’ squad featuring Le Cheminant, both Galpin brothers and Twentyman.

Rowe had got the winners off to an leading start with a 4-59 opening leg, with Mike Batiste anchoring them to victory following outings from Priest and Dawes.

Chapple had anchored Sign Up To The Novice Triathlon as they took women’s honours, having been set up by Chloe Truffitt, Amy Critchlow and Emily Squire.