Second fastest European youth 1500m Sarah Healy.

Not sure where to post this, interesting all the same. Our club coach gets a mention too
https://amp.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics/the-changing-face-of-irish-athletics-37020785.html
The future is looking good for Irish athletes

Pherekydes wrote: »

Hot on the heels of this, she ran 2:02.76 tonight in Belfast for an Irish junior record.

Claire Mooney ran 2:02.61 to win the race, and Ciara Mageean was only 4th in 2:03.19

Another absolutely incredible run by Healy. You have to feel a little for Mageean too, it just doesn't seem to be clicking for her. Not only are you being beaten by a 17 year old, but in the process she is smashing your legacy. I hope she can come right for the Euro's later this season.

pconn062 wrote: »

Another absolutely incredible run by Healy. You have to feel a little for Mageean too, it just doesn't seem to be clicking for her. Not only are you being beaten by a 17 year old, but in the process she is smashing your legacy. I hope she can come right for the Euro's later this season.

There's a lesson in what you've said there.

That lesson is Ciara Mageean.

Most teenage prodigies do not fulfill their potential come senior level.

People need to calm down and not have so much expectations surrounding Healy. Some of the stuff I've read of late (particularly on Twitter) is ridiculous.

Of course, in most countries, underage talent flows under the radar and develops naturally. Here, because we are so starved of senior success, we latch onto any kind of success, and build it up no end, creating ridiculous expectations for their future.

Legacies are built at senior level, not junior level.

Testosterscone wrote: »

Develops is the key word there.

Is it the expectation or the lack of infrastructure that is the issue though? Many youth's come through with grass root coaches they grew up with, the coaches rarely get any support or guidance in taking them through to Senior Level. It's a huge missing link in the cog in this country.

In a sport so starved of media attention its a double edged sword. Fear of hyping up an athlete and the athlete can become disillusioned with the worth of there hard work (no money, no recognition etc) but hype up too much and it creates pressure. Athletes and coaches should be developed to handle performing under pressure.

There's no doubt though that if we had success at senior level, our recent junior successes would be under the radar more. Yes coverage is good, but hype is not. Only the other day Cliodna Foley was tweeting that she could well become Ireland's first ever sub 2 800m woman. Utterly ridiculous stuff to be posting. That's my point. Just look at the post above about Healy possibly contending for medals are European Seniors this year. People need to get a hold of themselves.

Sadly, it is our poor run of results at senior level which is facilitating this. People need something good to talk about, and our senior athletes are not producing much. This is likely to be our first Europeans since 1990 (excluding 2012 which was a farce of a championships where the likes of Derval didn't go) where we will not win a medal. Mageean is out of form, English doesn't seem to be racing, no sign of Gregan, Healy is running great but she's just not at that level yet, but could make a final. Barr is our only hope and it is tough with Warholm and Copello in superb form.

Lack of medals gives the wider media little to talk about at senior level. But even ignoring medals, we have very few on the men's side who are even qualified to go to Berlin. The number overall who have a chance of making a final is extremely low. It's as poor a European team as we will have had in many years.

And so we need to latch onto our juniors.

Chivito550 wrote: »

European medal though? Really? You can surely see my point that this is completely unrealistic.

We are all on the one side. We all want to see our young athletes make it at senior level.

It is, but it's only one person typing something on the internet. Don't think it means you can say everyone is getting carried away and raising expectations when we discuss a good young athlete.

Chivito550 wrote: »

Get away out of this! She's ranked 27th in Europe (and 46th over 800m), She will be doing no such thing. Laura Muir, Sifan Hasan, Bahta, Weightman, McColgan will all eat her for breakfast (as indeed they should, as they are top level seniors).

This is the type of ridiculous destructive hype I'm alluding to in my above post. We've been here before with special talents. Ciara Mageean was one. She hasn't fulfilled that talent. There's a good chance it could happen again, as the transition from junior to senior is tough (just look what has happened to teen sensation Mary Cain), so keep the expectations in check.

Ok, calm down and breathe. I totally agree that we get way too excited about fast times by kids, in fact I even said that in my post if you read it again.

What I said and meant was that with her rate of progress she will likely be ranked a lot higher than 27th by Berlin. We all know that the future may not pan out for her, I'm talking about where she is already which is FAR ahead of Mageean or Sonia at that age. She's not a promising junior any more, she's actually borderline top-class already.

Now read what I wrote again. I said "might push for the medals". I said 'might' and pushing for a medal means getting in the top 10 and you never know after that. No more, no less. You're way over-interpreting what I said.

If she makes any more progress she will be running 4.06 or so and that can easily get you in the top 10. Sorry if that simple fact offends you so mightily.

And McColgan in the 1500? Are you sure you're serious?

pc11 wrote: »

Ok, calm down and breathe. I totally agree that we get way too excited about fast times by kids, in fact I even said that in my post if you read it again.

What I said and meant was that with her rate of progress she will likely be ranked a lot higher than 27th by Berlin. We all know that the future may not pan out for her, I'm talking about where she is already which is FAR ahead of Mageean or Sonia at that age. She's not a promising junior any more, she's actually borderline top-class already.

Now read what I wrote again. I said "might push for the medals". I said 'might' and pushing for a medal means getting in the top 10 and you never know after that. No more, no less. You're way over-interpreting what I said.

If she makes any more progress she will be running 4.06 or so and that can easily get you in the top 10. Sorry if that simple fact offends you so mightily.

And McColgan in the 1500? Are you sure you're serious?

Big difference between running 4:06 in a paced race (which is a big step from 4:09) and competing with the best in Europe in championship races.

Do we even know if she’s planning to go to Berlin anyway? I can’t imagine that is her priority for this season. European U18 would surely be the target and rightly so. Hopefully she goes to Berlin but it would surely be for nothing more than experience.

I’m sorry but suggesting she might push for medals is crazy talk.

McColgan has run 4:01.60 for 1500m. That’s top class at European level in my book anyway! Whether she chooses that over 5000m is another story.

Faugheen wrote: »

I hope she does go for the very reason you've said. She's making her mark at her own age grade so I don't see what harm it would do if she goes to Berlin and gets experience with the best of the best in Europe. Let her go out and enjoy herself. Not many athletes get the chance to at that distance in her age grade.

Is Tokyo on her radar? If it is, I think it would be silly not to send her to Berlin.

She’s not going to Berlin. She’s doing Morton and then that’s it. People forget she’s still in school and has the type of summer plans many school goers might have.

Time enough for senior competition. What a fantastic week for a really exciting talent.

That’s as relaxed as I’ve ever been watching an Irish athlete going for a medal. Never in doubt.

She's some prospect for the future, and so comfortable looking too. I agree with the post above, hopefully she spends her summer arsing about with her friends and being a teenager as much as she trains and competes. She's 17!

She has plenty of glory days ahead I'm sure

Good piece here which is worth reading:

https://www.fastrunning.com/opinion/comment/talent-can-be-a-heavy-weight-on-a-young-athletes-shoulders/17569/amp?__twitter_impression=true