Ciarán Ó Lionáird from Cork wins the mens mile at Boston Indoor Grand Prix

Ciarán Ó Lionáird from Macroom, Cork won the mens mile in the Boston Indoor Grand Prix last night (Sat 4th Feb 2012). In a high quality field which included Mo Farah from Britain and Galen Rupp from the US, Ciarán Ó Lionáird won in a time of 3:56.01.

Subject to correction but I think that was a new personal best time beating his old record of 3:57.99 in Dublin last July.

Post race interview HERE

Race report.......The men’s Mile featured the meet’s biggest shock when, just three-quarters into the first lap, 5000-meter World Champion Mo Farah of Great Britain, running in front, caught his foot on a trailing runner and sprawled hands-first to the track. After the rest of the field successfully hurdled or otherwise dodged him, Farah sprung back up to give chase. With six laps to go and training partner Galen Rupp in the lead, Farah had worked his way into the middle of the pack, and with three laps to go he was in second.
For an instant, it looked as if he would pull off a miraculous win, but “my legs just didn’t have it,” he said later. “I just had to get back as quickly as possible and work my way through. It wasn’t easy.”
With about 150 meters remaining, Rupp was caught by another training partner, Irishman Ciaran O’Lionard, and Canada’s Taylor Milne. The 23-year-old O’Lionard, who ran for Florida State University, held off Milne for the win, 3:56.01 to 3:56.40. Rupp ended up third, in 3:57.10, while Farah managed a personal-best 3:57.92 in fourth.

“It was disappointing seeing [Farah] fall down,” said Rupp. “We were planning on taking it after halfway, but things happen so you just have to be ready for it.”
O’Lionard, a relative rookie in this company, was thrilled. “I’m so new to the game, and so unbelievably privileged to have such great training partners,” he said, standing with Rupp and Farah. “Part of me is like oh man, this guy has just taken a bad fall and he’s already coming up and kicking my butt. That just shows the character he has and the courage, to be able to get back up and do that.”