HEALY’S POWER DRIVES HER INTO SEMIS
PHIL HEALY powered through to the 100 metre semi-finals with a time of 11.44 as she lived up to her billing as Ireland’s fastest woman at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin yesterday. Running into a slight headwind (-0.2m/s), it marked an impressive start to the week for the 23-year-old, who in June smashed the Irish record by running 11.28.
‘I think there’s definitely more there, today was a blowout to get rid of nerves,’ said the Bandon native. ‘I’m looking forward to getting out there again.’
Healy will take to the track this evening shortly after 6pm, when she will have to lower her national record to secure a place in the final two hours later. At her first senior championships, European Under-20 100m champion Gina Akpe-Moses was eliminated after finishing fifth in her heat in 11.63, and afterwards the 19-year-old said she was undaunted by the step up to senior level.
‘I was so relaxed, so chilled,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t happy with the time but I’m happy with the race – I was with them for 60 or 70 metres so I just need to work on the finish.’
There was disappointment for Adam McMullen, who bowed out in long jump qualification with a best of 7.47m. ‘It’s frustrating,’ said McMullen, who has a best of 7.99m. ‘It’s a kick in the teeth to see 7.71m made the final because I can jump that. I have a lot of potential but it’s annoying when I can’t fulfil it on the big day.’
Meanwhile, Thomas Barr says he is preparing to ‘unleash the bat out of hell’ when he opens his campaign today.
The 26-year-old will go to the line as Ireland’s leading medal hope looking to automatically book a place in Thursday night’s 400m hurdles final, the Waterford star will have to finish in the top two of his semi-final this evening.
Barr is ranked joint-fifth in Europe this season with his season’s best of 48.99, but after an uninterrupted block of training over the past month he feels he’s returning to the form that saw him clock 47.97 to finish fourth in the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
‘The problem I’m having is putting that speed into the hurdles,’ he said.
‘I don’t have any worries injury-wise or performance-wise, I know I can go out there and run a 48 in the semi-finals and, in the final, it’s a matter of letting the instincts take over and then unleashing the bat out of hell.’
IRISH IN ACTION TODAY (Irish times) BRENDAN BOYCE (50km race walk) 7.35am. CHRIS O’DONNELL (men’s 400m heats) 9.35am. CLAIRE MOONEY, SÍOFRA CLÉIRIGH-BUTTNER (women’s 800m heats) 10.05am. PHIL HEALY (women’s 100m semi-final) 6.05pm. THOMAS BARR (men’s 400m hurdles semi-final) 6.55pm. STEPHEN SCULLION (men’s 10,000m final) 7.20pm.