Tuesday 3rd - Tokyo 2020 Report
There were ‘heat heroics’ this morning with Andrew Coscoran and Leon Reid advancing to Olympic semi-finals from their respective 1500m and 200m heats.
Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC), who was making his Olympic debut in the heats of the 1500m produced a perfect finishing straight burst to book his place Thursday’s semi-final with a time of 3:37:11 which secured a fastest qualifier spot.
Coscoran settled into 5th place from the gun and maintained touch with the leading pack before unleashing a strong final 100m to cross in 8th place and claim his place in the next round.
Phil Healy’s (Bandon AC) Olympic journey came to an end in the most agonising of fashion, missing out on a place in the semi-final of the 400m by just 0.07 of a second.
Healy ran the second fastest outdoor 400m of her career to cross the line in 4th place in her heat in 51.98, made all the more impressive with it being her 4th appearance of the week at these Games.
Healy then had to wait for the result of the final heat to see if she could maintain her fastest qualifier spot.
Unfortunately, it was not to be, and it brought to an end the groundbreaking Olympic campaign for the Cork star who became the first Irish woman to compete in 3 track events an Olympic Games as she left the 400m starting blocks.
It’s been another record-breaking season for Healy and she will no doubt look back with pride at all she has achieved this week.
Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers AC) was next of the Irish out on track, finishing 6th in his 200m heat in a time of 20.73 which although was a season’s best, was not enough to make it through to the semi-final.
Lawler was another victim of a tough draw with two of the top 10 ranked athletes in the world lining up in his heat which was always going to make qualification difficult.
The 2019 World University Games bronze medallist can take great heart from producing a season’s best on the biggest stage of all.
Leon Reid (Menapians AC) was also in 200m heat action, taking his place alongside the world number one Noah Lyles (USA) who would subsequently go on to cruise to the win in heat 7.
Reid crossed in 4th place in a season’s best 20.53 to claim one of the fastest qualifier spots.
Reid appears to be peaking just at the right time however, and the Menapians speedster also booked his place in the semi-final which took place this afternoon (12.50pm Irish time).
Reid would go on to finish in 7th place in the semi-final, clocking a 20.54 Another brilliant run, just outside his SB from this morning, but the end of his campaign. One of very few Irish athletes ever to make an Olympic sprint semi-final
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