Mageean steals Belfast show

ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:FOR A country still without a proper indoor running facility there was a remarkable array of talent on display at this weekend's Irish Indoor Championships – some of it emerging; some re-emerging.

Derval O’Rourke may have been the headline act, and duly collected a 10th national title in the 60 metres hurdles, but it was Ciara Mageean of nearby Lisburn AC who stole the show at the Odyssey in Belfast with her record-breaking run in the 800 metres.

Still only 17, Mageean led from gun to tape – as she likes to do – to record a winning time of 2:07.82 seconds. That broke by over a second the Irish junior record of 2:08.87, run by Arlene Smith in 1991, but with two more years of junior eligibility ahead of her, Mageean is clearly an extraordinary prospect. As if we didn’t know that already.

For O’Rourke, the trip to Belfast was all about opening up her campaign towards the World Indoor Championships, which take place next month in Doha, Qatar. Inevitably a little rusty, O’Rourke, nevertheless, ran two clean and confident races, first winning her semi-final in 8.29 seconds, and improving that to 8.18 in the final. She pronounced herself well satisfied afterwards, but having ran 7.90 here four years ago, the year she won the World Indoor title, O’Rourke will want to go notably quicker in the coming weeks if she’s to seriously challenge for gold in Doha.

Several other athletes secured their qualification for Doha – and none more impressively than Clare Brady in the 60 metres. The Celbridge sprinter chopped a considerable chunk off her lifetime best, first by running 7.43 in the heats, before winning the final in 7.35 seconds, her fourth personal best of the season.

That not only earned her the Athlete of the Meet award, but also qualified her for Doha, just inside the 7.37-qualifying mark. Defending champion Ailis McSweeney was second in 7.49, with Niamh Whelan third in 7.50.

Also on her way to the World Indoors is Kelly McNiece, who just got the better of Deirdre Byrne in the 1,500 metres – to clock a championship best performance of 4:14.63 (inside the 4:15.0 qualifying time). Byrne won the 3,000 metres on Saturday, and is also likely to be selected for Doha.

Paul Hession won the men’s 60 metres in a season’s best 6.76 seconds, pushed to the line by 19-year-old Dean Adams of Ballymena and Antrim, who ran a personal best of 6.89; but with no 200 metres at the World Indoors, Hession won’t be going to Doha, and instead is moving on towards the outdoors season.

Two of the re-emerging talents to claim titles were Colin Costello, who won a tactical 1,500 metres in 3:58.81, and James McIlroy, winner of the men’s 800 metres in 1:52.23. Costello was European Junior champion at the distance in 2005, before losing his way a bit, but still only 23, his future looks bright again. McIlroy, who retired almost two years ago, turned back the clock at age 33, having earlier won his semi-final in an Odyssey record of 1:48.64.

Another superb prospect, Brian Gregan, ran 47.58 in the 400 metres; the only disappointment with that being it was in the B-final, as he’d obviously held back in the heats.

So the title there went to Dundrum’s Nick Hogan, who actually ran a second slower in the A final, 48.59.

In the field events, Kelly Proper won her fifth national long jump title with a best of 6.35 metres, and later won the 200 metres in 24.14, just edging out Niamh Whelan (24.15).

There was a new Irish under-23 record in the women’s pole vault when Claire Wilkinson cleared 3.80 metres, and while Mary McLoone defended her triple jump title with 12.50 metres, Caoimhe King improved her own Irish junior record to 12.22 metres to finish second.