Athletics 2023

yerwanthere123

Both Mageean and Adeleke out of the national championships at Santry tomorrow, very disappointing.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910212#Comment_120910212

Very unfortunate : Rhasidat has been in Dublin all week, so must have become unwell / unfit to race at the last moment.

deisedude

Underwhelming enough first day at the national championships with bad weather and missing heavy hitters.

Eric Favors throwing a championship record in the shot put being the main highlight just shy of 20 metres in 19:91 if I remember correctly

Obviously the majority of the action is tomorrow

Larbre34

Women's track is in rude health you'd have to say.

Sarah Lavin with three PBs for the weekend, a women running on grit and emotion at the moment after a tragic year.

Sharlene Mawdesley blowing away the 400 field in the absence of Rhasidat.

And thats among a scatter of dropping times in horrible conditions, with some juniors putting their hands up for national selection very soon.

We're going to have some very competitive relay teams in the big international meets coming up.....

Strazdas

Great race between Sarah Healy and Sophie O'Sullivan in the 1500m with Healy outsprinting the latter in the last 40m. There's not a huge difference between these two in class judging by their two most recent races.

yerwanthere123

Glad Sarah got the win there. She slowed way down on the penultimate lap that I thought she was gonna let Sophie back into it. Hopefully a bit of a confidence booster.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917613#Comment_120917613

Yes, great for her confidence. But Sophie seems to be improving quickly too - beat Sarah last time and got close enough to her this evening.

rovers_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910212#Comment_120910212

Eyes on the prize you'd have to say, world's too close for a wet and windy Santry.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917588#Comment_120917588

The two 400m winners were the highlights for me. For Sharlene Mawdsley to run sub-52 and Chris O’Donnell to run sub-46 in those appalling conditions, was very impressive. I’m convinced Sharlene Mawdsley has the ability to run 50.xx.

I wonder what Sarah Lavin could run for the flat 100m in decent conditions? I reckon 11.3x is in her wheelhouse.

On the flip side, I was concerned to see Andrew Coscoran fading to fourth over 800m. I know it’s not his primary distance, but that can’t be good for his confidence going into Budapest.

Sarah Healy was determined to take the win today. She was running on pure hate down that final straight. Hopefully, that victory, plus seeing Ciara Mageean performing at the very highest level, gives her a much needed infusion of confidence going into worlds.

ariana`

I enjoyed the Womens 5000m, delighted for Ide Nic Dhomhnaill to take the title, a 38yr old mum of 2! I wonder if she's doing Dublin this year? She could be a contender for the national title there too.

There was a lot riding on that for Sarah Healy. I think, losing it would have broken her. She was badly knocked losing in the U23s, hopefully it will spur her and Sophie on now. Anyone else thing Sophie looks a little awkward running - her shoulders seem hunched or something, I thought she didn't look as fluid as Sarah but maybe she just tightened up due to the pace? She was very gracious in defeat, she's a breath of fresh air, with her naturally beaming smile.

I loved watching Sarah Lavin too, her strength to come up through the field in the 100m flat. I hope she has a great Worlds.

average_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120919156#Comment_120919156

In fairness I think Healy only lost to Sophie in the u23 because Sophie clipped her ankle by accident

Sophie has a very awkward running style, it works for her so can't complain. I do think she needs to handle her positioning better on the track as she got into trouble when running in the USA also, but it will come with experience.

average_runner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120917957#Comment_120917957

In fairness Adeleke was there on sat for pictures etc.

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120919167#Comment_120919167

I just rewatched the race there and I think Sarah just got her tactics wrong and Sophie outsprinted her. She had nothing to respond with down the home straight.

The pair of them look pretty close in performance level at the moment. They will bring each other on.

Agreed, Sophie does have an awkward gait. I think she looks more of a build for a field sport but shes managing really well in the middle distance and is young enough to do very well on a European level for Ireland in the future for sure.

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921212#Comment_120921212

Sarah is the better runner right now. She has a PB that's 6 seconds faster than Sophie and she should really have beaten her at U23s too. Tactically I think Sarah was a little all over the shop yesterday and she admitted as such

Sarah's interview with RTE after was very interesting saying her coaches must be wondering what's she is doing, and that she got nervous and switched off a few times and slowed down.

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921641#Comment_120921641

Do these girls work with a psychologist on the irish team? She might be faster on paper but Sophie is looking very close to her on track at the moment.

Sophie should have performed better herself as well in the final of the USATF 1500m but if I remember she came last. I find that she doesnt look focused at times either.

yerwanthere123

Yeah I wouldn't agree Sarah and Sophie are close in level at all really. The difference between 4:01 and 4:07 is pretty huge at 1500m, Sarah should be beating Sophie comfortably every time.

Not sure I hold out a lot of hope for Sarah in Budapest to be perfectly honest, particularly in the light of her comments that deisedude posted above, but hopefully she proves me wrong.

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921795#Comment_120921795

You're only as good as your last race and to me shes looking fairly level with Sarah.

I wouldnt have been holding down any hope for Sarah even if she was running her best, the field in the 1500m and at worlds is on another level. The best it has ever been. Ciara probably wont be mapped either.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921795#Comment_120921795

There's so many ~3-56 type athletes atm

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921863#Comment_120921863

Yeah I know. I obviously wouldn't expect her to be in medal contention, but my hopes would be she comes away from Budapest with a PB and maybe makes the SF. Right now I'm not sure that's in her wheelhouse, but as I said I hope she proves me wrong.

Dodge

Not to be weird about but both Healy and O’Sullivan have had their mental/psychological issues over their short careers. Sophie missed nearly 2 years over hers and Healy has been quite open about hers.

I’m not trying to play doctor here or anything. I hope they both reach their (undoubtedly high) potential.

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120921927#Comment_120921927

Absolutely which is what I was saying in my earlier post which just seemed to be overlooked.

I think people here just like to look at the stats and judge on that when really you could run under 4 and never do it again if your mind is not

in the right place. Sophie could easily keep beating Sarah and posters here could keep saying but Sarah shouldve won because she has a faster historic time. Is it because Sarah is a favourite being home grown? Or do people just want to be right about stats?

yerwanthere123

Sophie could easily keep beating Sarah and posters here could keep saying but Sarah shouldve won because she has a faster historic time. Is it because Sarah is a favourite being home grown? Or do people just want to be right about stats?

Not sure where you're going with this tbh. People are saying Sarah should be beating Sophie because she's a better, faster athlete across every distance they've both ran from 800m right up to 5,000m, nothing more to it. This will continue to be true until Sophie starts getting consistently faster and regularly has the beating of Sarah. Sophie has never ran faster than 4:07.18 for 1500m, Sarah has ran faster than that four times this year alone. I also find it a bit odd you say Sarah has a faster "historic time" as if it happened years ago, it was about a month ago in Ostrava.

Yes Sophie beat her in Finland, but it's not incorrect to say that this was a below par performance from Sarah and she was beaten by an, as things stand, inferior athlete.

Runster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120922072#Comment_120922072

How many times have Sarah and Sophie raced each other this year?

I think my comment earlier was fair enough to say that the both of them are level at the moment.

Thats all.

I also think from my earlier comment that the both of them would benefit from a good team Psychologist.

I was responded with disagreement and a flurry of historic stats.

Historic is in the past.

yerwanthere123

Phil Healy shutting down her season, aiming to get her body right for the Olympics next year

https://twitter.com/philhealy2/status/1687176528453369856?t=VYWXiRkBD-GQ8Scpo5ENCQ&s=19

Meanwhile, Bobby Kersee saying Athing Mu might not run in Budapest, and may instead focus on Paris next year. All very odd indeed 🤔

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2023-08-02/olympic-champion-athing-mu-defend-world-championship-800-meters

We're clearly not being given the full story here, but looks like Mu isn't enjoying the sport very much. Would be great news for Hodgkinson and Moraa if she doesn't show up though.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120937070#Comment_120937070

It’s the right call by Phil Healy. She clearly isn’t right health wise at the minute. Hopefully, she can take some time off and come back even better in Olympic year.

As for Athing Mu, apparently she prefers modelling to running. In a way, I admire her. A 21 year old, who knows her own mind and what makes her happy. How many of us have stayed in situations that made us miserable just because it was expected of us. If she decides to walk away from athletics, she doesn’t owe anything to anybody. It would be a shame to lose such a talent, but she needs to do what’s right for her.

yerwanthere123

Squad announced

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/world-athletics-championships-selections?fbclid=IwAR3BzDyNlKmaN1HDWjS89gxEBrrrC7jMRSkD_5c-zaJZFZZnslqzuyrQQKE

I reckon Adeleke is likely our only medal contender? Ciara Mageean has an outside chance and Coscoran should be aiming to make the final, but it's still a very tough event.

Don't really follow the field stuff, so perhaps I'm forgetting someone there.

Strazdas

Two PBs by Sarah Lavin in Berne this evening ; now at 12.67.

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120939145#Comment_120939145

Sarah Lavin has a shot of making the final too. Has run great times in poor conditions lately and hopefully the timing is right.

Any other potential finalists? Brian Fay?

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120940347#Comment_120940347

Was just going to say the same about Sarah actually! Super improvement in trying circumstances, Derval's record won't be lasting much longer.

Hamachi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120940347#Comment_120940347

The mixed 4x400m has a shot at making the final too. Although it will be tough without Rhasidat Adeleke. Sharlene Mawdsley will need to run a storming anchor leg, which is within her capability.