High performance view: many positives in build-up to Rio
High Performance view: many positives in build-up to Rio
Athletics Ireland’s high Performance Director Kevin Ankrom summed up the Irish team’s championships in Beijing as having “some very positive performances and for many of our athletes, the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the year prior to the Olympics.”
Ankrom said: “Ultimately our best performers have secured some very high placings in the world order during the Championships in Beijing. Rob Heffernan is 5th in the world, Mark English 10th, Thomas Barr 11th and the relay team 13th. These are very creditable results on the world stage.
"These are very positive ratings to have achieved and provide a platform to build on for Rio with the individual performances we saw from this team meeting with our expectations. Thomas Barr had a big breakthrough this summer after winning a World University Games gold medal and returned to form, just missing out on a place in the final of the 400m hurdles. This was his first ever world championships and finished ranked 11th overall on the global stage.
"Mark English returned to form after an injury prior to the U23 championships and was able to run close to his season’s best, making a semi-final and was ranked 10th overall. The sprints and 800m are the toughest events with only one individual per lane so that has to be put into perspective to the level that both of these athletes achieved. Their global ranking afterwards has to be a testament to their development.
"This has been one of the most competitive world championships that I have seen and the larger core of the team got the opportunity to compete in their first ever world championships through the new “IAAF rankings list.” I believe that all of the athletes will agree this championship is the most valuable experience that each of them will take away from the championships and a great opportunity to build on prior to the Rio Olympics.
"We have closed out our championship campaign on a high note seeing the return of Rob Heffernan placing 5th in the 50km Race Walk after a season of fighting back into form after two in-season surgeries. Rob has put his down his mark as a contender for Rio. The men’s 4x400m relay topped off the performance by setting a new national record. This was a very important time to be achieved as there are limited opportunities for our 4x400m team to run at high level meets and we are now in a position to qualify this team for Rio.
"With regards to our ambition derived from the Strategic Plan set out in 2016, we identified 24 medal opportunities by the end of 2016. To date we have achieved 7 medals this year and 19 in total, a 80% strike rate. Later this year we have the European Cross Country Championships and moving forward into 2016 we will have the European Championships, European Youths, Olympics and then the European cross again to close out 2016. We have had a very good rate of success to date and we are supporting and providing more athletes with opportunities to strike for medals."