Southern Star article on Cork sprinter Phil Healy

Last weekend, Phil Healy from Ballineen in Co.Cork ran one of the fastest 400m times this year in the world when she won a race in Austria. The time would have been a qualifying time for the 2020 Olympics in Toyko except for the fact that the qualification period hasn't started yet.

There is an interesting long article in this weeks Southern Star about the Bandon AC athlete and how she has moved to Waterford to concentrate on her athletics career where she has use of the facilities at Waterford IT. The article outlines how she broke through to the next level for the 400m with the help of her coach Shane McCormack of Menapians AC in Wexford.

Cork Sprinter Phil Healy runs 400m PB in Austria

Cork sprinter Phil Healy of Bandon AC was in action in Vienna on Friday evening and won a 400m race there in a time of 52.08 seconds. This was an improvement of 1.1 seconds on her previous best time for the distance. It was also her second qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships coming up in Birmingham in March.

Phil is now based in Waterford IT and is coached by Shane McCormack of Menapians AC (pictured above), one of the top sprints coaches in the country.

Top Cork spinter Phil Healy sets PB to qualify for European Indoor Championships

Phil Healy of Bandon AC ran a new personal best time of 53.15 seconds in an indoor 400m race in Athlone on Saturday to qualify for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow next March.

She is pictured above with her coach Shane McCormack of Menapians AC.

Alberto Juantorena of Cuba...Double Gold Champion at the 1976 Olympics

The Sporting Witness programme on the BBC World Service covers various notable performances from the history of sport. Recently, they covered the story of Alberto Juantorena of Cuba, a double Gold Champion at the 1976 Olympics.

Early in his career, the 6ft 2in Alberto Juantorena tried to get on the Cuban Basketball team but didn't quite make the grade. A Polish coach named Zygmunt Zabierzowski persuaded him to try athletics and Juantorena soon became one of the best athletes in the world over 400m.

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he was the hot favourite for Gold in the 400m. His coach however had other ideas and convinced him to try the 800m as well, a distance that was completely new to Juantorena.

After getting through to the 800m final, the 400m specialist with his 9ft stride not only won Olympic Gold but also set a new world record for the event with a time of 1:43:50.

Doing a double in the 400m/800m is highly unusual and is a feat that is very unlikely to be repeated.

The BBC podcast can be heard HERE

Video clip.....

80 year old Flor O'Leary from Cork sets new national 400m masters record

Flor O'Leary (L) pictured with Fergus O'Donovan, 
head coach of St.Finbarrs AC

At the recent Cork County Track & Field Championships, Flor O'Leary of St.Finbarr's AC in Cork set a new age record for the 400m. Flor finished in a time of 1m 29.37s to set a new M80 record. The previous record of 1m 42.8s was set by Paddy Whelan in Kilkenny in 1995.

Flor also holds the M75 record for 400m...
M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    1.19.4 secs    01/08/2010    Cork

...and for 1500m...
M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    6.36.41    16/08/2009    Tullamore


The current M80 record is 7m 52.34s held by Nick Corish which might be on shaky ground now :o)
M80    Nick Corish    Raheny    7.52.34    14/09/2007    Riccione

Flor also holds a number of age records for road races as well....
5k    M65    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    19mins 21secs    10/10/1999    Dublin
5k    M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    23mins 30secs    09/09/2010    Cloyne

...including the Marathon...
M55    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    2hr 41.27    Oct. 1989    Dublin
M60    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    2hr 48.48    Oct. 1994    Dublin

Usain Bolt opens season with 400m win...

At the recent Camperdown Classic in Jamaica, Usain Bolt moved up a distance to win the 400m. Having watched the video, I get the distinct impression that he might be sticking to the 100 and 200m ;o)

AAI Games at the new indoor track in Athlone last weekend...

After a long wait, Ireland's newest indoor track in Athlone finally opened for business last weekend.

One of the best performances was from Brian Gregan of Clonliffe Harriers who ran the 400 metres in a time of 46:07, breaking his previous best time of 46.66 which he set in Ghent, Belgium in February of 2012. This now makes his the third fastest Irish man over the distance, moving up two places from fifth. The current Irish indoor 400m record was set by David Gillick in a time of 45.52. Considering that Brian is still only 23 years old, you'd have to wonder if it's only a matter of time before he breaks it?

Race video...


As if to verify just how fast this new mondo indoor track is, Thomas Barr of Ferrybank AC in second place also set a new personal time of 47.46 seconds.

In the women's 800m, there was plenty of drama with two contestants crashing to the ground within metres of the line in what was a very closely contested finish...

Race video...


Mens 3000m walk.....Rob Heffernan of Togher AC and Luke Hickey of Leevale AC in action


Men's 3km Walk...1, R Heffernan Togher A.C. 11.13.92 // 2, A Wright England 11.23.99 // 3, L Hickey Leevale A.C. 12.34.16

Results for the weekend can be seen HERE

Kieran Carlin of Finn Valley AC has plenty of photos HERE

Brian Murphy finishes 3rd in Stockholm Diamond League race

The Samsung Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings which attract some of the world's best athletes. In addition to the traditional European meetings, the series includes events in the United States, China and Qatar.

 Last Friday evening in Stockholm, Brian Murphy (Crusaders AC) finished in a very credible third place in the 400m race in a time of 46.71, just outside his personal best time of 46.41.

Profile...Joanne Cuddihy in the womens 400m

Coming up on Friday the 3rd of August at 12 noon, Joanne Cuddihy will be taking part in the first round of the womens 400m.

Back in 2008 in the Beijing Olympics, Joanne went out in the first round after finishing 6th of 7 in her race in a time of 53.32. The two slowest qualifying times from that round were 52.77 and 51.97.

If the standard is much the same in London on Friday and if Joanne can get close to her 2012 season's best time of 51.43 then she has a great chance of getting through to the semi-finals on Saturday.

Fingers crossed!

Joanne Cuddihy runs 51.45 in Japan and qualifies for London

Last night in Japan, Joanne Cuddihy ran 51.45 in a 400 metre race which has qualified her for the 2012 Olympics in London. Her time in the 400m race at the Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet was 51.45, just ten one hundredths of a second inside the Olympic 'A' qualifying time of 51.55.

Joanne won the Australian National Championships back in April with a time of 51.69.

The Kilkenny City Harriers runner will next compete in the Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki this week where she is hoping to further improve on this time, according to Athletics Ireland.

Updated 6th May 2012...Joanne Cuddihy (Kilkenny AC) finished second in the 400m in Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki, Japan in 51.78, with the American Mary Wineberg third in 52.36. The World Champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana won the race in 50.52.

Irish athlete Joanne Cuddihy wins 400m race in Australian National Championships...

From last weekend (14th/15th Apr)...Irish athlete Joanne Cuddihy of Kilkenny City Harriers AC won the womens 400m race in the Australian National Championships in a time of 51.69, just 0.14 outside the required Olympic 'A' standard of 51.55. Catriona Cuddihy (Kilkenny City Harriers), younger sister of Joanne was also competing and finished in eight position recording a new personal best time of 55.03. Joanne is in lane 4 of the video clip below...

Joanne Cuddihy from Ireland wins 400m race in Australia

The Irish 400m record holder Joanne Cuddihy from Kilkenny was in action at the weekend in Melbourne, Australia, She won a 400m race at the Melbourne Track Classic in a time of 52.37.
(Her PB is 50.73 set back in 2007)

AAF WC & Olympic Trials 1. Joanne Cuddihy Ireland 52.37, 2. Tamsyn Manou 52.77, 3. Caitlin Pincott 53.65, 4. Caitlin Sargent 53.75, 5. Pirrenee Steinert 53.98, 6. Lyndsay Pekin 54.33, 7. Sheena Steinert 54.39, 8. Jaimee-Lee Starr,