Irish relay teams set new records

Two new national records were set by Irish relay teams on the penultimate day of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

Irish relay teams set new records

Two new national records were set by Irish relay teams on the penultimate day of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

Despite setting records, while the men’s 4x400m quartet reached their final, the women’s 4x100m team did not.

The men’s team of Brian Gregan, Brian Murphy, Richard Morrissey and Thomas Barr romped to third place in their semi-final, setting a new national record of 3 minutes, 03.57 seconds - taking 16-hundredths of a second off the previous Irish best set at another European Championships, twelve years ago in Munich.

All four legs were particularly impressive, with Barr fending off Kevin Borlée and Belgium on the anchor leg to guide Ireland home in third behind Russia and Poland.

Gregan said afterwards: “We were aiming for top four, so this is great.

“We emptied everything on the track. I wasn’t feeling great when I was running but I still managed to pull out a half-decent leg to keep the lads in contention.

“Everyone did their job perfectly.”

Following his anchor leg, Barr remarked: “When I was on the final bend, I was looking to get past the two guys up ahead, but then felt someone on my shoulder, and I was sure it was a Borlée, who had kicked the same time as me.

“That was the only reason I had that extra burst today. I could hear footsteps behind me so I said ‘right, you’re not getting past me here’.”

It was joy mixed with a tinge of sadness though for the Irish 4x100m women as Amy Foster, Kelly Proper, Sarah Lavin and Phil Healy lopped nine-hundredths off their record, but narrowly missed their final.

43.84 could only guide them to fourth in their semi, which was 0.04 behind Sweden, who qualified as a fastest loser from the other semi-final heat.

The Swedish team, who had competed in the first semi-final and finished fifth, watched the Irish display while being interviewed for Swedish radio - and let out a large scream when the Irish time came up as it meant a place in tomorrow’s final for them.

The Irish four also had reason to be happy despite finishing behind Britain, Ukraine and Russia.

Amy Foster, who had been involved in the previous record set at the Barcelona Europeans in 2010, said: “It’s disappointing not to reach the final but to go out there and set a national record is super, especially as it’s the first time we’ve all run together.

“Our first practice was yesterday.

“We knew that we were the four fastest girls in the country so we knew if we got that baton around, we would get a national record.

“That was our goal, we got it, and that was the most important thing.”

Phil Healy, who ran the anchor leg, is enthusiastic about the future: “To go out and break the national record from lane one when lane one is often against you, you can’t ask more than that.

“It would have been lovely to qualify for that final tomorrow.

“Looking at previous results, 43.9s have normally got in.

“43.84 shows the standard is increasing year after year.

“We can only improve and hopefully we can keep competing, maybe get to the next world relays and accomplish.”

In the morning, Fionnuala Britton became Ireland’s fourth fastest female marathoner of all-time in coming tenth in the women’s marathon, her debut run at this distance.

In a race won by Frenchwoman Christine Daunay in 2 hours 25 minutes 14 seconds, ahead of Italian Valeria Straneo and Portugal’s Jessica Augusto, Britton came home in 2:31:46, the first athlete in her twenties to finish.

Irish half-marathon champion Sarah Mulligan was 36th in 2:42:43 and Barbara Sanchez 41st in 2:43:59.

Britton related: “I was a little bit nervous because I asked to do this.

“I wanted to put myself out there. I asked to do this and everybody told me I was mad. Then they realised I was being serious!”

Unfortunate news has struck right at the end of the Saturday afternoon session as Paul Pollock has withdrawn from tomorrow’s marathon.

The Belfast doctor is complaining of a hip problem as has had to withdraw.

Pollock was the second European finisher at last year’s World Championships marathon in Moscow are was a good prospect for a medal.

Pollock said: “Thanks for all the messages of support. Unfortunately, due to a hip injury I won’t be able to compete tomorrow. That’s running!”

Among the day’s big winners were Britain’s Eilidh Child in the women’s 400m hurdles, Sandra Perkovic of Croatia in the women’s discus - having recently visited and received treatment in Carlow - and Renaud Lavillenie in the men’s pole vault with a conservative vault of 5.90 metres.

Maryna Arzamazova of Belarus beat Britain’s Lynsey Sharp in a run-off to win the women’s 800m. A similar situation in the women’s 5000m final saw Meraf Bahta of Swden hold off 1500m champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.

Olympic champion Krisztian Pars claimed the men’s hammer, and Olha Saladukha triumphed by four centimetres in the women’s triple jump.

— Will Downing, Zurich

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