Leon Reid...The new Irish sprint sensation???

While Leon Reid was born in Bath in England, his birth mother was from Belfast and his foster mother is from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Even though the 23-year-old is one of the top sprinters in Britain, he has applied for an Irish passport and has declared for Ireland.

At the Great Britain trials in Birmingham earlier this month,  Reid who also runs for Northern Ireland, finished third in the 200m in a new personal best 20.38 seconds - 0.06 inside the mark required for the World Championships. A delay in paperwork however will mean that he is ineligible for that particular competition.



Back in February of this year, he won both the 60m and 200m titles at the Irish Indoor Championships while competing for Menapians AC, a Wexford based club. He also featured in the recent Cork City Sports where he ran 20.38 in the 200m to finish third behind two Americans.

Considering that he is only 23 years old (his birthday is today!) and that he is likely to get faster, we are probably going to hear a lot more about Leon Reid in the future.

Links...
https://www.balls.ie/amp/athletics/leon-reid-ireland-369450

Phil Healy of Bandon AC qualifies for the European Indoor Championships

Phil Healy of Bandon AC was in action on the indoor track in Athlone where she posted two qualifying times in the 60m sprint for the European Indoor Championships.

Top Irish sprinter Phil Healy from Cork sets new national record

Joan & Phil Healy

At a national league meeting in Athlone last Saturday, Phil Healy of Bandon AC ran 7.25 seconds in the Indoor 60m race to set a new Irish Under 23 record. Phil who is from Ballineen in West Cork is still only 21 years old and is already one of Ireland top female sprinters. Her time of 7.35 seconds moves her up into joint 4th on the all time Irish list.

Athlone. Women 60m. 6th Feb 2016
1 Phil Healy Bandon A.C. 7.35
2 Joan Healy Bandon A.C. 7.41
3 Sarah Kate Lacey Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 7.85
4 Louise Kiernan Fingallians 7.97
5 Margaret Caldbeck Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 8.06
6 Cara Brennan Donore Harriers  8.16
7 Carol Kearney Lucan Harriers A.C. 9.22
8 Edith Coakley Lucan Harriers A.C. 9.23

60m Irish Women Indoors All time list
1 7.30 Anna Boyle Birmingham    3 Mar 2007
2 7.32 Ailis McSweeney Belfast 20 Feb 2011
2 7.32 Amy Foster    Athlone    16 Feb 2014
4 7.35 Claire Brady     Belfast    7 Feb 2010
4 7.35 Phil Healy Athlone 6 Feb 2016
6 7.36 Emily Maher Belfast 19 Feb 2006
7 7.38 Michelle Carroll Birmingham 27 Feb 1993
7 7.38 Kelly Proper     Athlone    22 Feb 2015
9 7.41 Joan Healy    Athlone    6 Feb 2016
10 7.43 Sarah Reilly Birmingham 12 Jan 2002

Phil's sister Joan Healy also recorded a personal best of 7.47 seconds in the same race and moves up into 9th on the all time Irish indoor list.

On the Sunday, the Healy sisters were in action again in the AAI Indoor Games. In the 60m, both were fractionally slower with only Amy Foster managing to post a faster time on the day.
 
60m SEN  Women  Time :11:42 ..Athlone 7th Feb 2016
1 FOSTER Amy                   7.38           
2 HEALY Phil                   7.43           
3 HEALY Joan                   7.47           
4 NEVILLE Ciara                7.56           
5 MURRAY  Sarah                7.67           
6 LAVIN Sarah                  7.68           
7 MCCARTHY Sarah               7.71           
8 FREEMAN Ara                  7.85   

Phil was back in action in the afternoon and won the 200m race in a new personal best time of 23.74 seconds. That's two PB's in two days! That performance now moves her up into 4th on the Irish 200m Indoor all time list.

200m  All time Irish indoor list
1 23.17 Ciara Sheehy Birmingham 2 Mar 2003
2 23.27 Kelly Proper Athlone    22 Feb 2015
3 23.30 Sarah Reilly Birmingham    13 Jan 2002
4 23.74    Phil Healy Athlone    7 Feb 2016
5 23.82     Steffi Creaner    Athlone    6 Feb 2015

The results of both competitions can be found on the Leevale AC website... National League on Sat HERE ..... AAI Games on Sun HERE

Phil Healy of Bandon AC opens indoor season with win in Manchester

Top Irish sprinter Phil Healy of Bandon AC opened her indoor season last weekend with a win in the womens 60m race in Manchester. This was part of the Sale Harriers Open Series in Manchester held on Sunday the 4th of January.

What was even more impressive was Phil's winning time of 7.46 seconds, just a mere ten one-hundredths of a second off her PB of 7.36 and this was her first race of the season.

60 SX 1.12
Pos Perf Name  AG Age Club    SB    PB   
1 7.46 Phil Healy SB U23 W  Bandon/Ireland 7.46 7.43   
2 7.61 Rebekah Wilson SEN W    23 Sale Harriers Manchester    7.60 7.50   
3 7.71 Megan Hoult PB SEN    W 23 Kingston upon Hull/Hull Uni 7.71    7.71   
4 7.80 Alexandra Russell SB SEN W 24 Wigan & District/Liverpool John Moores Uni 7.80    7.67   
5 8.04 Abigayle Fitzpatrick  SB U23 W 21 Sale Harriers Manchester/Liverpool John Moores Uni 8.04    7.84

2nd race of the day...
60 SX 2.5
Pos Perf Name AG     Age Club    SB    PB    
1 7.47 i Phil Healy U23 W Bandon/Ireland 7.46 7.43

Phil Healy of Bandon AC sets new Irish 60m indoor U23 record

The Irish University Athletics Indoor Championships were held in the AIT International Arena, Athlone on Friday, 7th of February. In the womens 60m, Phil Healy of Bandon AC and representing UCC won the race in a time of 7.36 seconds. This was a new Irish U23 record breaking the old mark of 7.37 held by Ailis McSweeney of Leevale AC. This time also moves Phil to equal 5th place on the Irish senior all time lists over 60m.

Looking back at the Spring of 2013, Phil Healy's personal best was 7.58 seconds and she was 19th fastest on the Irish all time list. Back in early January of this year, she ran 7.46 seconds and moved up into 10th fastest. In mid-January, she ran 7.43 seconds in Cardiff and moved up to joint 7th. This latest time of 7.36 now moves her up into joint 5th. As you can see from the times, improvements in such a short race are often measured in a few one-hundreds of a second.


The current Irish indoor 60m record is 7.30 seconds which was set by Anna Boyle in 2007. It's worth pointing out that the four women faster than Phil Healy ran their times when they were aged 23-28. Phil Healy is still only 19 years old.

The full results of the IUAA Indoor Championships can be seen HERE

Phil Healy of Bandon AC wins 60m race in Cardiff

Just one week ago, Phil Healy of Bandon AC won a 60m indoor race in Athlone in 7.46 seconds, the 10th fastest ever by an Irish woman. Yesterday, Phil Healy won the womens 60m final at the Cardiff Met Uni Grad Prix Wales in a time of 7.43 seconds, an improvement of three one hundredths of a second. Although it's a small improvement, it now moves Phil from 10th to joint 7th on the Irish all time list.

T012-Female 60m Final
Final
Pos Bib Athlete Club Perf
1 58 Phil HEALY (SENM) Bandon AC (G-P) 7.43
2 84 Mica MOORE (SENW) Cardiff AAC (G-P) 7.51
3 70 Hannah THOMAS (SENW) Wrexham AAC (G-P) 7.60
4 80 Rebecca CHAPMAN (SENW) Cardiff Met (G-P) 7.63
5 54 Joey DUCK (SENW) Marshall Milton Keynes AC (G-P) 7.66
6 33 Charlotte WINGFIELD (SENW) enfield & Harringey ac (G-P) 7.70
7 55 Jennifer BATTEN (SENW) University of birmingham (G-P) 7.76
8 89 Claire WILLIAMS (SENW) Swansea University (G-P) 7.85

Phil Healy of Bandon AC wins 60m indoor race in Athlone...

At the new national indoor league in the AIT International Arena in Athlone today, Phil Healy of Bandon AC in Cork won the womens 60m race in a time of 7.46 seconds. Phil's previous best time was 7.58 seconds and she now moves to 10th overall on the all time Irish indoor list.

Phil Healy #16 and Sarah Lavin #72 in the womens 60m

Athletics Ireland said this about Phil Healy's performance..."The performance of the day in the individual competition came from Phil Healy (Bandon AC). European junior 100m fourth placer Healy stormed down the track to win the 60m in a time of 7.46. The time moves Healy to tenth on the Irish all time indoor 60m lists, a very impressive performance in her first year in the senior ranks."

In the same race, European junior silver medalist Sarah Lavin of Emerald AC in Limerick finished in second place in a time of 7.61, just five one hundredths of a second slower than her personal best of 7.56. Sarah Lavin had earlier run 8.40 seconds to win in the 60m hurdles event.

Women's 60 m
 1 Phil Healy Bandon A.C. 7.46
 2 Sarah Lavin U.C.D. A.C. 7.61
 3 Catherine McManus Dublin City Harriers A.C. 7.66

Women's 60 m Hurdles
1 Sarah Lavin U.C.D. A.C. 8.4
2 Laura Frey Lagan Valley A.C. 9.98
3 Karen Dunne Bohermeen A.C. 12.22

The full results can be seen HERE 

Also in action over the weekend was Kelly Proper of Ferrybank AC in the English Athletics Combined Events Championships in Sheffield. In the womens 60m hurdles, Kelly finished in 3rd place in a time of 8.68 seconds. That is the joint 9th fastest time on the Irish indoor all time list.

Senior Women's 60m Hurdles - Race 4
1 Karla Drew City of Sheffield AC 8.36
2 Marilyn Nwawulor Harrow AC 8.47
3 Kelly Proper Ireland 8.68
4 Jade Surman Birchfield Harriers 8.69 

Derval O'Rourke finishes 4th in Paris...

Derval O'Rourke of Leevale AC finished 4th in the final of the womens 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Championships today. Her time of 7:96 was a seasons best having run 7:98 and 8:07 in heats earlier in the day.

Considering she had a recent injury, finishing 4th in Europe is an excellent performance.

Marian Heffernan of Togher AC was in the 1st round heats of the women’s 400m this morning. Marian finished in 5th place in a time of 54:94, which is slower than the 54:00 she produced to win the Irish Indoor title two weeks ago. She almost qualified for the semi-finals as one of the fastest losers but was just out by 3/1000’s of a second.

The highlights of today's action can be seen on the RTE Player HERE

Coverage and commentary on Derval starts at 1:37 and lasts until 24:40. If you just want to see her in the final, go to 15:30

The section about Marian Heffernan can be seen from 35:50 to 39:20