Home hero Heffernan clocks new Irish record

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

By Feidhlim Kelly

Now firmly settled in its new home at the CIT track in Bishopstown, the Cork City Sports International meet captured the partisan crowd’s attention last night as Robert Heffernan clocked a new national record in the 3,000m race walk.

Heffernan put on a show of race walking that earmarked him for as a genuine medal contender for the World Championships in Moscow in August.

“There’s nothing quite like performing in front of your home crowd,” said Heffernan despite the race only being 3,000m in distance — some way short of the 50km he will walk in a bid to get a medal in Moscow.

“Today was just showing off,” said Heffernan who helped the crowd find their vocal cords with a national record of 11:11.94. “I can’t feel my arms. I’m full of lactic. I wanted that record, it’s the only I didn’t have.”

He erased Jamie Costin’s record of 11:12.02 set in 2010.

Heffernan returns to his high altitude camp in Guadix, Spain to put in the final hard yards for what could be his crowning moment in Moscow.

The main programme kicked off at 6.30pm and for those of us just coming through the turnstiles they were greeted to a men’s 400m Hurdles race that announced Thomas Barr as a genuine international calibre hurdler.

Coming into the home straight, he was gaining on South Africa’s Cornel Fredricks, athlete of the meet last year, with every stride and just as he came to the final hurdle it literally proved a step too far.

Much like a startled deer in the headlights, the young Waterford man froze at the realisation of a major breakthrough.

“When I realised how close I was, I kind of panicked,” said Barr in only his second race of the season due to injury. “I clattered the last hurdle and couldn’t get my feet again. The lactic was killing me. It was like I hit a brick wall.”

Barr may have struck a metaphorical wall but he skilfully managed to stay on his feet and, although the win alluded him, he held on for a clear second in 50.00 seconds behind Fredricks’s 49.86. England’s Simon Merrill was an afterthought in third in 51.61.

Having missed 10 weeks of training with an injury he was justifiably delighted with his performance.

The magic of the mile has held its resonance since Roger Bannister famously broke the four minute barrier in 1954 on the Iffley Road Track in Oxford. The four minute mark is now a prerequisite for the 1,609m distance and the question when the athletes took to the curved line was not if they would go under four minutes, but by how much.

Paul Robinson has become Ireland’s number one miler this year in the absence of Leevale’s Ciarán Ó Lionaird and his target was two-fold: win and try and break the national U23 record of 3:54.63 set by Gerry O’Reilly in 1986.

Dermot McDermott and Colin Costello set the early pace and as the runners heard the bell, Paul Robinson was well placed in fifth.

Robinson had to dig into his reserves to close a gap with 250m to go and coming into the home straight he moved wide for one final effort but he faded to fourth. Cameron Page took the win for Australia in 3:54.77 — Robinson’s 3:56.18 was a two-second personal best and sets him up nicely for a medal run this month in the 1500m at the European U23s in Finland.

Laura Crowe was the last hope for a home win in the women’s 800m and the An Ríocht woman was well placed with 150m remaining but again ran out of steam, finishing fourth in 2:02.90.

“I was a bit tired,” said Crowe who paced in the Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday. Nonetheless, it was her second fastest ever time.

Collis Birmingham of Australia put on his own masterclass of distance running to round out the international programme winning the men’s 3,000m in 7:47.97.

On track – Heffernan’s veterans’ world record

Robert Heffernan’s 11:11.94 was a record walk on two counts. Not only was it a new national record, it was also a new men’s over-35 world record. A secret he was hoping to keep.

Lavin hurdles to medal contention

Sarah Lavin’s (Emerald) 13.36 personal best in the 100m hurdles has now firmly made her a medal contender for the European Junior Championships in Rieti, Italy this month.

Mile on the right Page

Australian Cameron Page has been causing quite a stir on the European circuit this year and the Melbourne Track Club athlete chalked up another victory in 3:54.77

McSweeney questions starting gun

The women’s 100m brought another domestic query to the equipment as Ailis McSweeney and Kelly Proper were both disqualified. McSweeney was adamant she didn’t false start and the disappointed Irish athlete brought up the national indoors as a pretext to this issue. She was left licking her wounds.

Castlin hurdles to quick time

American Kristi Castlin just missed out on making the USA team for the world championships but she sped to one of the fastest ever times on Irish soil winning the women’s 100m Hurdles in 12.85