International round-up: Irish athletes to the fore on busy weekend
It was a busy weekend for Irish athletes abroad as the outdoor season progresses at pace.
No fewer than four Irish records fell with Rhasidat Adeleke (Women’s 400m), Ciara Mageean (Women’s 800m), Nick Griggs (U20 Men’s 5000m) and Adam Nolan (U20 Men’s 110m Hurdles) all playing their part in rewriting history.
While those athletes will rightly get the headlines it is worth highlighting some of the other standout performances from what was an action-packed weekend.
Thomas Barr (Ferrybank A.C.) would have been very pleased with his 400m Hurdles race at the IFAM meet in Oordegem, Belgium. The Waterford man ran his fastest time since the Olympic semi-final in Tokyo in August 2021, clocking a swift 49.05. It knocked nearly 0.75 of a second off his season’s best that he had set at the start of the month in Botswana. He will be looking to dip below 49 seconds for the first time in nearly two years in the weeks ahead.
Sarah Healy (U.C.D A.C.) ran her first 1500m race of the season at the Diamond League in Rabat, Morocco. Healy, who is the Irish U23 record holder in the 1500, Mile and 3000m, ran a very strong race despite the searing pace at the front in the early stages. She moved through the pack well to finish seventh in 4.03.57, slightly outside her 4:02.86 personal best. It does however indicate that Healy has recovered well from the injury she sustained at the European Cross Country Championships in Turin last December. She also recently ran an 800m PB of 2.01.75 at the Irish Milers Club meet in Belfast.
In America the NCAA East and West Prelims took place at the weekend with qualifying to the NCAA finals in Austin, Texas in two weeks’ time being the primary objective for many Irish athletes. Rhasidat Adeleke booked her ticket, and she will be joined by a few more young Irish talents.
Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh A.C.) delivered a sensational performance to book her place in Austin. The 21-year-old who studies at the University of Washington had never broken 4.10 for 1500m until this weekend. Her PB of 4.12.19, that she had set only two weeks ago was absolutely obliterated when she stormed into the lead in the final 50m to take victory in a competitive race in a time of 4.08.06. O’Sullivan now moves to eighth on the Irish All-Time list and 11th in NCAA history and advances to the finals.
Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers A.C.), Sean Donoghue (Celtic DCH A.C.), Conor Murphy (United Striders A.C.), Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock A.C.), Barry Keane (Waterford A.C.), Paul O’Donnell (Dundrum South Dublin A.C.), Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers A.C.) and Jane Buckley (Leevale A.C.) also advanced to the NCAA finals in their respective events.
In the field events there was a couple of really impressive early season performances in Oordegem. In the Women’s Long Jump national senior indoor champion Elizabeth Ndudi (Dundrum South Dublin A.C.), set a new national U20 outdoor record, with a massive 6.39m jump.
Reece Ademola (Leevale A.C.) also showed his class to finish second in the Men’s Long Jump. Ademola recorded a best jump of 7.77m, which is just 6cm shy of his personal best set at the World U20 Championships in Cali last summer.
Irish athletes have another busy week in store with the 123.ie All-Ireland Schools Championships, European 10,000m Cup, FBK Games and Florence Diamond League just some of the events taking place.