Dean Casey (Ennis Track AC) and Sarah Healy (UCD AC) broke the National U20 10,000m record and National U23 Mile record respectively at the Night of 10k PB’s meet in Highgate, London on Saturday night.
Casey became the first Irish Junior ever to run under 29 minutes in the 25-lap race, clocking 28.57.34.
It marked a sensational debut over the distance for the man from Clare who knocked 26 seconds off the previous mark set by Abdel Laadjel that only dated back to March.
Prior to that the record had been held by Frank Greally for 52 years.
Casey was pushed all the way in the race by Italian athlete Nadir Cavagna and despite being overtaken in the home straight, the 18-year-old found an extra gear to take a marginal victory in the B race.
The performance moves Casey inside the top 50 on the Irish all-time list where he is in illustrious company.
Alistair Craig has held the National Record for the distance now for fifteen years, his 27.39.55 set in Stanford in April 2007 is still the time to beat.
Casey was delighted after the race and said he “didn’t expect” to take an Irish record.
“I didn’t expect to go out that quick. I just kept grinding it out trying to keep up with the green lights, but it was just too quick. Fair play to the guy who came second, I didn’t expect him to be that close behind me coming into the last lap and I thought he had me in the sprint. I didn’t think I’d be able to outkick him in the end, he came from a long way back I presume.”
Sarah Healy also produced a strong performance to come second in the Women’s mile.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympian broke her own Irish U23 record for the distance clocking 4.29.03. Healy is currently 6th on the Irish all-time list for the distance.
Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) and Paul Robinson (St. Coca’s AC) both ran in the Men’s Mile race.
Both athletes broke four minutes with Coscoran running 3.55.31, despite dodging a faller in the latter part of the race, and Robinson clocking 3.57.88.
In the Women’s 10,000m A Race, Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill (Donore Harriers) was the best of the Irish athletes finishing 14th in 33.18.93.
Her sister Ide was 20th (33.54.51), Fionnuala Ross of Armagh AC was 21st (33.57.02), and Aoife Kilgannon of Sligo AC was 24th (34.03.01).
The race doubled as the British Championships with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Jessica Judd securing qualification for the World Championships this summer taking gold in 31.22.24.
