Hendricken hitting form at the right time

ATLETHICS: After becoming the third fastest Irish 1,500 metre runner of all-time on Tuesday night Geraldine Hendricken will go into Saturday's Cork City Sports in the form of her life.

If there was a new name in Irish athletics this summer it would be Hendricken but at 32 it's more like her second coming than her first.

Yet the breakthrough performance at the Lausanne Grand Prix, where Hendricken clocked four minutes 5.72 seconds in seventh place, has made her one of the most anticipated attractions in Cork, and also one to watch at next month's European Championships in Munich.

Although she started the season with a very ordinary best of 4:16.42 (set in 1994), Hendricken was suddenly mixing it with the best in the world in Lausanne. Romania's Maria Cioncan edged out the top Russian Yelema Zadorozhnaya in 4:03.11, and in third was the controversial world 5,000 metres champion Olga Yegorova, also of Russia.

Just a stride ahead of Hendicken in sixth in 4:05.53 was the veteran Romanian Violeta Szekely, who took the world championship silver behind compatriot Gabriela Szabo in Edmonton last summer.

Only Sonia O'Sullivan with her national record of 3:58.85 and Sinead Delahunty with her 4.04.22 are ahead of Hendricken on the Irish all-time list. After Saturday's race in Cork that list may be altered once again.

The organisers of the 51st annual meeting have put together a truly international event, with 37 nations represented. Entries for the 1,500 metres reflect that depth with athletes from eight nations, including five Americans and the decent Moroccan Meryem Boucotta.

Though O'Sullivan is running the 3,000 metres, Hendricken is clearly in form to push closer to the four-minute mark in Cork, especially if she continues on her current rate of improvement. The Lausanne clocking was her third personal best within the last month, following the 4:09.56 set when winning the Northern Ireland title in Belfast and the 4:08.00 when winning in the European Cup Second League in Tallinn last Sunday week.

Hendricken finished second in the women's mini marathon in early June after clocking 2:04.06 for 800 metres in Tullamore the week before. All this indicates her range of distances, and more importantly the ability to get the best out of herself - a trait long associated with the Carlow athlete.

Yet having spent the early years of her career in the US at Providence College, it did appear Hendricken's talent would only take her so far. She remained a feature of the domestic road racing and cross-country scene but seemed well outside the qualifying marks for major championships in recent years.

Last year was almost the end as a stubborn virus, which left her with a cough, forced her to sit out the season. Over the winter she regained her health and a steady teaching job in Dublin helped her regain the consistency necessary for world-class athletics.

Now Hendricken finds herself in contention for a place in the European Championship final. Lausanne has helped get some of the fear out of her system. "I remember at one point around the last lap, I looked around and was thinking to myself I shouldn't be here," she said yesterday. "But I won't be thinking that way in Munich."