Personal Best takes Healy to 4th in Europe at European Indoor Championships

POSTED:

Phil Healy has run the fastest 400 meters of her life in claiming 4th place in the European Indoor Championship final in Torun this evening.   

The Bandon AC athlete took to the blocks knowing that she would need a near perfect performance to compete amongst a world class line-up, and she did just that with a stunning personal best time of 51.94. 

Healy finished strongly down the home straight for 4th and was just two tenths of a second short of making it onto the podium. Her time would have been enough to secure her a medal at the previous 5 editions of these championships, further highlighting the class of field which she was up against.

The final was Healy’s third run at these championships over two days, and her consistency of performance will be something she will look to carry with her as she tracks towards Tokyo qualification.  

Nadia Power, Cian McPhillips and Mark English were all in 800m semi-final action this evening and all three had to settle for fourth place which resulted in them just missing out on tomorrow’s respective finals (McPhillips was subsequently promoted to 3rd after a DQ).

Power hit the front at the bell in a gutsy display which saw her leave everything out on the track in posting a 2.04.04. The Dublin City Harriers athlete finished 4th in the end and her recent indoor exploits will no doubt stand to her as she builds towards Olympic qualification.  

Longford man McPhillips who only made his senior Irish debut in yesterday’s heats looked very much as if he belonged with Europe’s elite, setting a new European U20 record of 1.48.08 at the age of 18 (McPhillips ran 1.46.13 at the Elite Micro Meet but anti-doping controls need to be undertaken for a European Record to be ratified). His 3rd place finish was not enough to progress to the final tomorrow but there is no doubt that he will return to this stage once again in the years to come.

Mark English signed off his record-breaking indoor season at the semi-final stage too, clocking 1.48.99 to finish 4th. The Finn Valley AC man was in position approaching the last 400 meters but could not peg back the leading trio of Borkowski (POL), Webb (GBR), and Kramer (SWE).

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