IRISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lauren Roy (Fast Twitch AC), who recently made the semi-finals of the World University Games in Germany, started her campaign on Saturday finishing third with a time of 23.88 in a very competitive 200m final which saw Olympians Charlene Mawdsley and Sarah Lavin taking the first two places. Lauren completed a busy weekend on Sunday by finishing second in the women’s 100m final within touching distance of her PB in a time of 11.49 (0.0).

Rachel McCann (North Down) repeated her second-place finish from last year in the women’s 400m running an outdoor pb of 53.19 in a race won by European relay gold medallist Sophie Becker. In doing so Rachel defeated several of her World Championships Mixed and Women’s 4x400m relay rivals and will be hoping she has done enough to make the squad for Tokyo.

There were some impressive performances in the field with Oregon 2022 World Championships competitor John Kelly (Finn Valley AC) took the silver medal in the Men’s Shot with a best of 17.85m to finish behind Olympian Eric Favours. A pair of City of Lisburn athletes also took field event bronze medals with Joshua Knox third in the Triple Jump with 13.58m and Abbie O’Neill third in the Women’s Pole Vault in 3.25m.

In the women’s 1500m Zoe Toland (CNDR) and Niamh Carr (DCH) both ran lifetime bests to finish second and third respectively. Zoe ran 4.15.11 and Niamh 4.16.08 taking just over three seconds off her previous best.

The men’s 800m and 1500m were billed as potential races of the Championships with high class fields in both races. Andrew Thompson (NBH) running his first National Championships ran a great race to finish third behind National record holder Mark English and recent 1:44 performer Cian McPhillips in 1.49.93. The men’s 1500m proved to be a very tactical affair; after running a very pedestrian pace for the first three laps the whole field was still in contention with less than three hundred metres to go. Nick Griggs (CNDR) despite running a fifty-three second last four hundred metres just lost out to two Olympians from Paris last year, three times champion Cathal Doyle and Irish record holder Andrew Coscoron to finish third in 3.53.90.

In the U20 men’s 3000m Championship Oisin McGloin (Lagan Valley) produced a very impressive performance winning by just over seven seconds in 8.34.77.

Elsewhere at the British Athletics Championships in Birmingham, Hannah Irwin stepped down in distance competing in a strong field for the 5000m and finished 9^th in a fast-finishing tactical race behind the likes of Hannah Nutall and prodigious junior athlete Innes Fitzgerald in a time of 15.57.18.