IN CONTROL
Powerful burst sees Gregan top the charts
BRIAN GREGAN’S explosive 2017 continued in Santry yesterday when he won his eighth race in a row to claim the national 400 metre title.
Gregan powered away from the field to take the crown in 45.74 seconds, just 0.48 seconds off his best and the second fastest national 400m triumph.
‘Today was just about getting out and winning and that’s what I went and did,’ said Gregan as the evening sunshine beamed down on his home track.
‘I hit cruise control with 300 metres to go,’ explained Gregan. ‘I was expecting 46.5 but 45.7 popped up — when you run like that, you’re in shape.’
‘I’m full of confidence ahead of London,’ explained Gregan who is experiencing the best season of his career to date.
‘Four years of hardship was worth it for this year alone. I’m looking forward to just getting on there in London and showing them what I’m made of,’ he added.
Thomas Barr was also entitled to a smile of satisfaction as he landed his seventh national 400m hurdles title in a sharp 49.79 seconds.
The Waterford man didn’t have things his own way and was clinging onto the lead coming into the home straight as his training partner Paul Byrne inched ahead.
Barr though quickly found his competitive stride to power down the home straight to claim victory in an impressive 49.79 seconds.
‘I knew it was going to be a good race,’ commented Barr immediately afterwards. ‘I knew I was going to have to work for that.
‘We’ve been stride for stride in training and we were pretty stride for stride in this race. I’m delighted I feel like I’m back in racing mode.”
‘When the weather is good, there is nowhere else I would be running than Santry, a home crowd in a home stadium,’ he remarked.
Meanwhile, Mark English and Ciara Mageean also loosened up for the World Championships with both adding national 800m national titles to their lists of honours.
Mageean shot out of the blocks with an explosive opening lap of 58 seconds and looked on course to become the first Irish woman to break the two-minute barrier.
She eventually tired in the final 150 metres before crossing the line in 2:04.06, holding off the fast-finishing Claire Mooney who sensed victory.
English cut a less confident figure even though he had plotted a superb tactical victory in his event.
He made a move with just about 200 metres to go to win in 1:50.89, having too much for Kieran Kelly who battled for silver.
‘I’m just happy to come out and get a win in a good field, there were three guys who ran 1:47 in that field,’ insisted a somewhat downbeat English.
‘That would be an ideal,’ he explained when asked if he had a clean bill of health.
‘I’ve [had] an injury all season. Then I strained my quad.
‘It hasn’t been perfect but I just have to manage as best I can,’ added English as he now targets progressing through round one in London.