Five Irish wins highlight 65th Cork City Sports
Five Irish wins highlights a great night in CIT
A host of Irish victories at the 65th Cork City Sports International at the CIT track in Bishopstown last night sent the fans home with a spring in their step.
There were five home wins in the main programme highlighted by Bandon’s Phil Healy in the women’s 100m in 11.52 seconds. The other Irish stars were Adam McMullen (Crusaders) in the long jump, Laura Crowe (An Riocht) in the 800m, Elizabeth Morland in the 100m hurdles and Alex Wright (Leevale) in the 3,000m race walk. For full results click HERE
Phil Healy has been transitioning to 400m and the ‘Bandon bullet’ and was delighted to step down in distance and win the 100m in a season’s best.
“I stepped down the distance and I’m delighted to run a new season’s best of 11.52,” said Healy afterwards who will compete for Ireland at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam next as part of the women’s 4x400m relay team.
Healy was just edged for the national 400m title last weekend by DSD’s Sinead Denny but has shown her speed is in fine fettle heading into the Europeans in her first season over the one lap event.
National long jump champion Adam McMullen continued his winning streak by winning in Bishoptsown with a best of 7.59m – 7cm further than his winning leap in Morton Stadium last weekend.
“I was pleased with that and the crowd was great this evening,” said McMullen who was jumping right in front of the main grandstand. “I wore my Irish vest to generate some extra support and it did the trick.”
Laura Crowe has had a mixed season and missed the 800m at the national championships to go to a friend’s wedding. The break did the Kerry woman the world of good as she held off Romania’s Mihaela Nunu in 2:05.73 to 2:06.06.
Multi-event rising star Elizabeth Morland’s season just keeps getting better and better – she won the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.68 seconds which was a World Junior A standard. The World Junior Athletics Championships take place in Poland next month where she will focus on the heptathlon. The Meath woman is guided by Derval O’Rourke’s old coach Terri Cahill
Robert Heffernan’s (Togher) quick pit stop to the Cork City Sports didn’t pay off in victory in the men’s 3,000m race walk but he was pleased with his effort. Heffernan finished second in 11:18.65 behind his training partner Alex Wright (Leevale) who won in 11:13.94. They will now go to a training camp in Spain as they build towards the 50km race walk at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro along with Brendan Boyce (Letterkenny) who was fourth in a new personal best of 11:34.06.
“Obviously I would have liked to have won but I’m pleased with my effort ahead of going into another big block of training,” said Heffernan who is as hungry for success as ever going in to his fifth Olympic Games. “I’m not going there for the vest,” he said. “I go to a championships to compete and I have every intention of doing so in Rio.”
Ireland’s young distance stars also took full advantage of running in front of a supportive home crowd producing a host of qualifying times for underage events.
Togher’s National Junior Endurance coach Steven Macklin was casting his watchful eye and was pleased with the outcome. “It was another great night for Irish Junior Endurance athletes with five more qualifying standards for either European Youth or World Junior Championships.”
Leevale pair Charlie O’Donovan and Louise Shanahan shone brightest winning the junior men’s 1500m and junior women’s 800m. O’Donovan clocked a European Youth qualifier of 3:54.36 while Shanahan recorded a World Junior B qualifier of 2.08.99.