It was another busy weekend for Irish athletes on the circuit across Europe last weekend as preparations for the upcoming Irish Life Health National Senior Track and Field Championships, as well as the World Championships and European Championships continue at pace.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Phil Healy (Bandon AC) made a steady start to her season at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat recently but was looking to improve in Switzerland on Saturday when she competed at the Athletica Geneve meet. Healy, who has a PB of 51.50s from just over a year ago looked like she is coming into nice form at a crucial time in the season. She crossed the line in sixth place running a new Season’s Best of 51.82s. Rhasidat Adeleke is the only Irish woman to run quicker so far this season.
Israel Olatunde (UCD AC) appears to be a man on a mission this season. The twenty-year-old from Dundalk recently broke the Irish U23 100m record when he clocked a time of 10.27s at a meet in Austria. That time moved Olatunde to 3rd on the Irish All-Time list with only Paul Hession and Jason Smyth ever having run faster. Olatunde also travelled to Switzerland and will be extremely encouraged with his 10.19s (+2.4m/s) clocking to take victory.
Ireland also had teams in the Women’s and Men’s 4x100m relays. The Women’s team comprised of Joan Healy, Lucy May Sleeman, Lauren Roy, and Sarah Leahy. They finished seventh in 44.58s and improved their rankings in the quest to qualify for Munich.
The Men’s team of Olatunde, Colin Doyle, Marcus Lawler, and Joseph Ojewumi were sixth in a time of 39.49s.
Meanwhile, Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) and Hiko Tonosa (Dundrum South Dublin AC) were in action at the Folksam Grand Prix event in Sweden.
Coscoran, who represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics, had yet another solid outing on the circuit finishing second in his 1500m race. He ran a time of 3.38.04, outside his Season’s Best of 3.36.54 set in Hengelo on Bank Holiday Monday.
Tonosa ran in the 5000m also claiming second spot. The 2021 National Senior Cross Country champion clocked 13.42.74.
