Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
O’mahoney improving with age
Athletics
Veteran athlete Dominic O’mahoney is setting his sights on next year’s World Masters Championships after impressing on his European debut.
The 43-year-old Invicta East Kent member competed at the European Masters Championships in Denmark over the weekend, finishing a creditable fifth in the 40-45 years’ 1,500m.
The event, at Aarhus, was O’mahoney’s first as a veteran on the international stage and he says the experience has definitely given him a taste for more.
O’mahoney, who owns the The Running Outlet, in Palace Street, Canterbury, said: “To run against the best in Europe is the stuff dreams are made of and I loved every minute – the call rooms, the arena, the whole experience.
“My main aim before the event was just to get to the final so to finish fifth was a bonus.
“The worlds are in Malaga next year so still in Europe. It will be a whole new ball game but it’s something for me to work towards.”
O’mahoney began his racing career as a talented junior but he took two decades off from running before returning a couple of years ago.
He started this season by winning the Whitstable 10k in May but then suffered shin problems and went into the Euros on the back of just 10 weeks’ serious training under coach Peter Mullervy. He finished third in his heat on Saturday, clocking 4.09.01 to be the fourth-fastest qualifier overall and in Sunday’s final ran 4.09.78 after producing a terrific final lap.
The race was won in 4.06.10 by Spain’s Antonio Franco with Briton Dean Richardson second in 4.07.68.
O’mahoney, whose 1,500m personal best of 4.08.76 came last year, said: “I was last at the bell but I’ve got a good kick finish which carried me through.
“I was pleased to be fifth in Europe although if I’d had a bit more belief and got nearer the front quicker, I might have got a medal. I needed the race to be 1,550m, rather than 1,500!”
O’mahoney admits he is bucking the trend by getting quicker as he gets older and he says his improvement is largely down to the work he’s done with coach Mullervy over the past two-and-a-half years.
He added: “He’s definitely teaching an old dog like me new tricks. He’s been fantastic as have Invicta who have given me great support.”
O’mahoney’s aim for the rest of the season is to hit the top of the UK ranking for his age group.
The best time at the moment stands at around 4.06.