Championship records by Sarah Healy and Marcus Lawler were among the standout performances on the first day of the Irish Indoor Athletics Championships, with the promise of more to come at the sold-out Sport Ireland Arena on Sunday.
Healy was running the 1,500 metres heats seven days after improving her own national senior record to 4:01.62, and she simply cruised through to Sunday’s final, her winning time of 4:12.37 improving the championship record of 4:13.96, set by Fionnuala McCormack back in 2013.
Just turned 24, Healy has indicated her preference to race the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn next month, and has clearly brought a new consistency to her racing which can only auger well for her medal prospects.
The 200m is not a championship race at European level, still Lawler went all out to win the national title. The Carlow athlete won by over a second in 20.74, eclipsing the championship record of 20.77 set two years ago by Mark Smyth,
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“I was the form runner coming into these championships and I had a couple of bests along the way, but it’s a long time since I picked up a national title, so I’m delighted,” he said. “I’m 30 in a couple of days’ time and that’s an indoor best in a championship record, so I’m thrilled”. Adam Murphy was second in 21.75, with Luke Timlin third in 21.76.
Katie Bergin won her first national senior indoor title with a season’s best performance to win the women’s 200m title 24.03.
Sarah Lavin was back in Abbotstown chasing a seventh national indoor title in the 60m hurdles, and duly won in 8.11, ahead of the St Laurence O’Toole duo of Molly Scott (8.34) and Arabella Adekoya (8.71). Lavin clipped her opening hurdle, but remains in form to make the European Indoor final. The men’s 60m hurdles went Adam Nolan, defending his title in 7.95 seconds, ahead of the fast-finishing Seán Carmody (8.33).
Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC, 52.86), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers AC, 54.02), Lauren Cadden (Sligo AC, 54.05), Rachel McCann (North Down AC, 53.63) and Phil Healy (Bandon AC, 53.98) all progressed to Sunday’s women’s 400m final. Conor Kelly of Derry Track Club set a new national under-20 record of 46.63 when qualifying for the men’s final.
In the weight-for-distance Michael Healy from Leevale won with a best throw of 8.78m, with Kotryna Pacerinskaite of Fanahan McSweeney AC also retaining her title, bettering her own championships record with a throw of 8.30m.
In the other field event finals, Sommer Lecky (Finn Valley) and Tara O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerards) both cleared 1.81m in the women’s high jump. Lecky ultimately winning gold on countback, with Ciarán Connolly (Le Chéile AC) returning from over two years of injury to take the senior men’s title with a clearance of 2.0m.
Sarah Buggy won a remarkable 23rd national senior title in the triple jump, taking the gold with a best of 12.85m, with David Onwudiwe (Ennis Track AC) producing an impressive first round jump of 14.29 in the win the men’s triple.
