Andrew Coscoran and Sarah Healy broke Irish 3000m records at the prestigious New Balance Indoor Grand Prix meeting in Boston last night (Feb 2nd).
Coscoran made a race-winning-move with 400 metres left to run, overtaking longtime leader Azzedine Habz to storm to victory in a new Irish record time of 7:30.75 WL, the fourth fastest time ever clocked by a European athlete.
The performance saw the Balbriggan athlete take ten seconds off his personal best and eight seconds off Alistair Cragg’s national record that had stood since 2004. Mark Carroll’s outdoor record stands at 7:30.36.
Sarah Healy was also in record-breaking form at the Boston Meet, smashing her own indoor 3000m record to finish fourth in a time of 8:35.19. The race was won by Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant in 8:28.69.
Mark English was in action in the 800m, finishing 5th in a time of 1:46.82.
The performance of both Healy and Coscoran mark the second and third national senior indoor records to go this weekend following on from Kate O’Connor’s new indoor Pentathlon record in Estonia. All three athletes have now secured the automatic qualification standards for the upcoming European Indoor Championships which take place in in Apeldoorn (March 6th – 9th).
Full result lists from Boston: HERE
Elsewhere, Sharlene Mawdsley got her season off to a winning start over 400m at the Scottish Athletics EAP Indoor Invitational yesterday evening, clocking a new indoor PB of 51.69 to also secure the European Indoor Championships Standard.
Bori Akinola was the fastest of the Irish sprinters in action in Scotland, clocking 6.74 in the final of the 60m to finish second.
Full results from Scotland: HERE
- Records subject to ratification.
- KATE O’CONNOR OBLITERATES IRISH PENTATHLON INDOOR RECORD