Chris O’Donnell (North Sligo AC) ran a new Season’s Best time of 45.91s to finish second over 400m at the Kladno hází a Kladenské memoriály meet in the Czech Republic on Tuesday night. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian broke 46s for the first time this season in a competitive race which was won in a time of 45.78s by Czech athlete and home favourite Patrik Sorm. The 24-year-old will be pleased with his performance and will be looking to further improve on Saturday when he races at the Meeting Madrid in Spain.
Tuesday was also a good night for Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrocks AC). The Wexford native ran the third fastest time of her career, 52.03s, to finish in fifth place in her 400m race. Becker, who is a member of the Jeremy Lyons led Dublin Sprint group, has had a fantastic start to her season, running 51.83s in Oordegem and 51.84s at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco. German athlete Corinna Schwab won the race in a new PB time of 51.21s.
Also competing in the Czech Republic was Claire Mooney (Naas AC). Mooney, who is currently coached by Feidhlim Kelly and is part of the Dublin Track Club, finished fourth in the 800m race clocking 2.05.04. This was outside her Season’s Best of 2.03.91 which she set in Karlsruhe, Germany back in May. The race was won by Slovenia’s Anita Horvat in 2.02.22.
Thomas Pitkin (Clonliffe Harriers AC) travelled to Italy on Tuesday for the Athletica Italiana Meeting in Celle Ligure. The 24-year-old 400m hurdler is ranked sixth on the Irish All-Time list for the event, with a PB of 51.07s set last year in America. Pitkin was a convincing winner of his race, running a time of 52.69s, a new Season’s Best.
There were also Irish athletes in action in Switzerland competing at the CITIUS meeting in Bern. John Kelly (Finn Valley AC) has been in the form of his life lately. The Shot Put athlete from Donegal moved to fourth on the Irish All-Time list for the event last week when he threw 19.57m at a meet Norway. This was also a new Ulster record. Kelly had another decent performance finishing fifth with a best throw of 18.75m and will no doubt be looking forward to the Irish Life Health National Senior Track and Field Championships which are fast approaching where he will face off against Irish record holder Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrocks AC).
Eanna Madden (Carrick-on-Shannon AC) and Paul Scanlan (Leevale AC) also competed in Bern in the pre-programme 400m. Madden finished seventh in his race clocking 48.03s. The race was won by the very well-known and respected Jonathan Borlee of Belgium in 46.00s.
Scanlan ran a new Season’s Best in his race to finish fifth. The Cork man ran a time of 49.54s in a race won by Great Britain’s Jamal Clarke.
