Sarah Healy reigns supreme in Hungarian rain

Healy reigns supreme in the rain

Sarah Healy (Blackrock) reigned supreme in the rain to win the girls’ 3,000m final in a championship record of 9:18.05 at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Gyor, Hungary this evening (July 6).

With instructions to pick it up with 1km to go by her coach, Eoghan Marnell, Healy duly did speeding a split of 2:57 to cruise to gold.

Healy won the European Youth Olympic 1500m title on this track last year but it was another step up in class to win 3,000m gold here which was a late decision.

It proved inspired as she sped to gold. “The competition was harder than last year and I’m really happy to win gold." It was also a new Irish outdoor youth record.   

Patience Jumbo-Gula (St Gerard’s Dundalk) was disappointed to finish fifth in the girls’ 100m final in 11.87 but it was still a fantastic championship for the rising sprinter nonetheless.

Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght) was first of the Irish in competition on the evening session and she qualified in second in her 200m heat in 23.90. Running blind in lane 8 it was a solid start to Adeleke’s championships with the semi-finals coming up.

Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh) had a great burst of speed to qualify for the final of the 800m. She eased off the throttle in the final metres to finish second in 2:07.95.

Picture credit: European Athletics via Getty images