The long career of David Gillick has been extended further by Ireland’s qualification for the final of the men’s 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, writes Will Downing.
A brilliant display from Brian Gregan, Craig Lynch, Gillick and Thomas Barr saw the Irish squad rattle out a time 3:04.92 – good enough for fourth, a fastest loser’s place in the final, and edging Ireland even closer to Olympic qualification.
Britain won the Irish heat in a European record time of 3:01.63 ahead of Poland, the Czech Republic and the Irish.
Gillick’s presence in the final isn’t assured, but his display on the third leg was impressive.
He said: “We’re probably a little disappointed not to get inside the 3:04.2 to definitely get the Olympic standard and get back into the top 16.
“We have a huge opportunity tomorrow because it’s going to be a hugely competitive race.
“All we need is each one of us improving by 0.1 of a percent to get us the Olympic qualification.”
Gillick fell when handing the baton to Barr for the anchor leg, but will be fit for the final if chosen: “We’ll debrief and review the race, everyone will be honest as to how they are feeling.”
The other three relay teams in action for Ireland all bowed out, though the men’s 4x100m squad did clock the fastest time in this event by an Irish four since the 2000 Olympics – 39.52 seconds – in finishing eighth in their semi-final.
Phil Healy doubled up by competing in both 4×100 and 4×400 relays for Ireland, and was paired with her sister Joan in the shorter distance, finishing seventh and eighth in their respective semi-finals, both in season’s best times.
It was 44.29 for the 4×100, and following some difficult changeovers, 3:34.02 for the 4×400 team.
Healy said: “You can practice all you want, but when it comes to the heat of the moment, anything can happen.”
Christine McMahon improved on her time from the heats by a second in the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, but came fifth in 56.87 seconds and was edged out from the final.
McMahon was jostling for the lead with Denmark’s AIT Grand Prix winner Stina Troest, but both were overtaken by Pole Joanna Linkiewicz and Katsiaryna Belanovich of Belarus over the final two hurdles.
The Ballymena and Antrim AC athlete slowed down and finished fifth, with Troest third.
McMahon explained: “We spent a lot of this season working on the top end, the second bend of the race, so we went in with more of a risky stride pattern today, as opposed to yesterday, which was down to playing it safe to get through the rounds.
“I knew I was happy with it, right where I wanted to be at the 300 metre mark, having nailed it.
“It was just a matter of hoping the legs were there for the final 100m, I was a second faster than yesterday.
“A PB and a place in the final would have been a cherry on top.
“I didn’t feel the lactic until the final 30m or 40m off the final hurdle.”
Deirdre Byrne returned to the track after five years away to finish 10th in the women’s 5000m final in 15 minutes, 53.67 seconds as controversial Kenyan-born Yasemin Can claimed the long-distance double for her adoptive Turkey in 15:18.15.
Sweden’s Meraf Bahta was second, two seconds down as she tried a major burst in the final 200 metres to overtake Can. Britain’s Steph Twell was third.
Can is the third athlete to do the 5000-10000 double after Sonia O’Sullivan and Elvan Abeylegesse.
Byrne said afterwards: “I’m happy with the run. It was tough going out there but definitely pleased with the end result.
“It’s hard to know going in how those races are going to go.
“Once the top athletes took off, it was trying to stay in there as long as I could.
“I was trying to finish as high up as I could.”
Barry Pender of St Abban’s AC bowed out in high jump qualifying, having cleared 2.14 metres, but missed three times at 2.19m.
The Ingebrigtsen brothers claimed two of the podium positions in the men’s 1500m final, as Filip won, with Henrik in third.
A blanket finish saw Nataliya Pryschepa of Ukraine win the women’s 800m, France’s Dimitri Bascou edged out Balazs Baji of Hungary to win the men’s 110m hurdles and after Dafne Schipper’s 100m success last night, the Dutch have struck gold again through Anouk Vetter in the heptathlon.
Her Dutch national record of 6626 points edged out 2014 champion Antoinette Nana Djimou of France by 78 points.
Yelena Isinbayeva’s long-standing Championship record in the women’s pole vault was beaten by Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece, in egistering a new mark of 4.81 metres.
A European lead of 17.20m saw Max Hess win the men’s triple jump for Germany, Tatyana Khaladovich of Belarus took the women’s javelin and Piotr Malachowski maintained Poland’s strong record in the throwing events by securing the men’s discus.
Meanwhile, after departing Amsterdam, Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner clocked a new personal best of 2 minutes, 01.98 seconds in the 800 metres at the British Milers Club meeting in Solihull – after three seconds better than her time at the Europeans earlier this week.
Mary Cullen didn’t take to the start line for the women’s 5,000m final due to injury.
The North Sligo AC athlete has been pushing hard of late to qualify for the Olympics, and even had a specific race organised for her in Sligo recently to help her bid.
