Sometimes the race doesn’t always go to the swiftest, but to the runner who can keep stride in the face of carnage. Which is exactly how Nick Griggs won his first senior Irish title, and a ticket to the World Indoor Championships to boot.
Well before Sunday’s starting gun, the men’s 3,000 metres was set up as more than just a race for the National Indoor title. It did not disappoint – not the closest finish of this weekend’s championships, but unquestionably the most thrilling.
Griggs and Andrew Coscoran had already secured the event qualifying time in January, and Darragh McElhinney had also run well within the qualifying quota. But three into two doesn’t go, as only two athletes per country can be selected.
Athletics Ireland had guaranteed the winner one spot, the second to be decided after the result here. Cue 14-and a-half laps of mounting tension, then the last half-lap bust up that changed everything.
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Coscoran was the fastest and most experienced, the 29-year-old running 7:30.97 in Boston, and duly took control with 800m to run. Sprinting into the last bend, McElhinney briefly surged into front, and in trying to hold his line, Coscoran was sent crashing to the track.
Then came Griggs, sprinting past McElhinney off the final bend, taking the highly tactical win in 8:14.52. Coscoran got up to finish eighth, in 8:24.33, and although initially disqualified for jostling, his result was left to stand – unlikely to get him selected in that event for the Word Indoor Championships, set for Torun in Poland in three weeks’ time. Coscoran, however, has qualified in the 1,500m
“It’s special, my first senior title, and under the circumstances where basically it was more or less a race-off,” said Griggs, the 21-year-old from Tyrone building nicely on his European Under-23 cross-country gold in December. “There was a lot more pressure coming in than usual, just delighted I could deliver on my race plan, I’m buzzing.”
McElhinney held on for second, but it does present a dilemma for the selectors, given Coscoran’s position before he fell: “I kind of thought that was coming,” added Griggs, “knew they were tussling down the backstretch. I thought ‘just be patient’. They both out-tussled each other, that’s the nature of the race we ran. It was very cagey, because all three of us were coming in with a chance to go to Worlds.”
Lughaidh Mallon was equally pleased with his first senior title in the 1,500m, the Antrim runner like Griggs also coached by Mark Kirk, after he inched past fellow UCD AC runner Luke McCann in the final few strides, winning in 3:43.45.
McCann was gracious in defeat, the Paris Olympian returning to his best after injury.
“I definitely left it late,” said Mallon, “and when Luke passed with me 150m to go, there was a second where my mind kind of switched off, and then I thought ‘no, get on him’. You don’t know what he’ll be like the last 30, 40m, and I was fortunate enough to have just enough left to get past him.”
Lucy Holmes also won her first 1,500m title, and Louise Shanahan also timed her finish to perfection to win the 3,000m, adding to her 800m titles from previous years.
There was another show of power and confidence from Bori Akinola when defending his 60m title, the national record holder gunning down Max O’Reilly in the second half of the race, winning in 6.60.
Ciara Neville produced a similar run in the women’s 60m, adding to her 100m title won last summer, coming past Precious Apke-Moses in the last 20m to win in 7.27 – just off her lifetime best, and another welcome return to top form for the 26-year-old from Limerick.
Sharlene Mawdsley claimed a third consecutive national indoor title in the 400m, a class apart when winning 51.89, although with that she’s calling time on her indoor season. Rising Galway star Sean Doggett left it late against Fintan Dewhirst in the men’s 400m final, surging for the win on the line in 47.33 – leaving Dewhirst flat on his face, such was his last desperate dive for victory.
Few titles were more deservedly won than Cillian Kirwan’s gun-to-tape victory in the 800m, which despite the absence of Mark English and Cian McPhillips, saw the Raheny man produce a new championship record of 1:47.68 – bettering the 1:48.18 which had stood to James Nolan since 1997.
“One for the old dogs,” said Kirwan. “Whether X or Y was here, the game plan was to front run, get the best out of myself, go out violently.”
Hannah Seagrave won her first Irish 800m title, since switching her allegiance from Britain, leaving Emma Moore content with silver for the second successive year.
Along with Kate O’Connor’s dominance in the long jump, Eric Favors also shone in the field, breaking the championships record in the men’s shot with 19.57m. Michaela Walsh picked up her ninth indoor shot title in a row, while Michael Kent retained his title in the men’s pole vault with a best clearance of 4.50m.
Sunday Results Summary
Women’s 3,000m
1 Louise SHANAHAN Leevale A.C. 9:22.47
2 Zoe TOLAND CNDR Track A.C. 9:22.59
3 Michelle FINN Leevale A.C. 9:23.03
Men’s 3,000m
1 Nick GRIGGS CNDR Track A.C. 8:14.52
2 Darragh MCELHINNEY Bantry A.C. 8:15.08
3 Callum MORGAN CNDR Track A.C. 8:16.30
Women’s 1,500m
1 Lucy HOLMES Dublin City Harriers A.C. 4:31.10
2 Niamh CARR Dublin City Harriers A.C. 4:32.39
3 Madison MOONEY Tullamore Harriers A.C. 4:32.80
Men’s 1,500m
1 Lughaidh MALLON U.C.D. A.C. 3:43.45
2 Luke MC CANN U.C.D. A.C. 3:43.51
3 Ronan MCMAHON-STAGGS Dublin City Harriers A.C. 3:44.77
Women’s 400m
1 Sharlene MAWDSLEY Newport A.C. 51.89
2 Arlene CROSSAN Finn Valley A.C. 54.12
3 Jenna BREEN City of Lisburn A.C. 54.39
Men’s 400m
1 Sean DOGGETT Athenry A.C. 47.33
2 Fintan DEWHIRST Tír Chonaill A. C. 47.84
3 Hugo MAGEE Crusaders A.C. 48.92
Women’s 60m
1 Ciara NEVILLE Emerald A.C. 7.27
2 Precious AKPE-MOSES Blackrock (Louth) A.C. 7.33
3 Molly SCOTT St. Laurence. O’Toole A.C. 7.37
Men’s 60m
1 Bori AKINOLA U.C.D. A.C. 6.60
2 Max O`REILLY Riverstick/Kinsale A.C. 6.69
3 Craig DUFFY Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 6.71
Women’s 800m
1 Hannah SEAGRAVE Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 2:07.76
2 Emma MOORE Galway City Harriers A.C. 2:08.06
3 Pia LANGTON Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 2:09.19
Men’s 800m
1 Cillian KIRWAN Raheny Shamrock A.C. 1:47.68 CR
2 Callum HURLEY Ferrybank A.C. 1:48.37
3 Finn WOODGER Metro/St. Brigids A.C. 1:49.60
Men’s Pole Vault
1 Michael KENT SEN M D.M.P. A.C. 4.50
2 Shane POWER St. Joseph’s A.C. 4.40
3 Matthew ROSSITER St. Abbans A.C. 4.00
Women’s Long Jump
1 Katherine O`CONNOR Dundalk St. Gerards A.C. 6.50 CR
2 Lauren CALLAGHAN Finn Valley A.C. 6.44
3 Anna MCCAULEY City of Lisburn A.C. 6.05
Men’s Long Jump
1 Sam HEALY Leevale A.C. 7.56
2 Reece ADEMOLA Leevale A.C. 7.49
3 Ryan ONOH Cork City A.C. 7.11
Women’s Shot Put
1 Michaela WALSH Swinford A.C. 14.15
2 Caoimhe GALLEN Lifford Strabane A.C. 13.02
3 Niamh MADDEN Nenagh Olympic A.C. 12.16
Men’s Shot Put
1 Eric FAVORS Raheny Shamrock A.C. 19.57 CR
2 John KELLY Finn Valley A.C. 18.19
3 James KELLY Finn Valley A.C. 15.49
Men’s 5,000m Walk
1 Oisin LANE Mullingar Harriers A.C. 19:39.92
2 Seamus CLARKE Moy Valley A.C. 20:33.19
3 Matthew GLENNON Mullingar Harriers A.C. 21:09.38
Women’s 3,000m Walk
1 Kate VEALE West Waterford A.C. 13:50.48
2 Aisling LANE Mullingar Harriers A.C. 14:07.13
3 Ciara WILSON BOWEN Dundrum South Dublin A.C. 14:21.79
