Becker Claims National 400m Title

Sophie Becker took a dramatic 400m gold medal on day of the national track and field championships in Santry.

Olympian Becker was her best against Irish Olympic team mate Phil Healy by just .14 seconds for victory.

Becker exploded from the blocks running a very good top bend before accelerating to victory in 52.34 seconds ahead of Healy.

Cliodhna Manning was third in 53.05, but it was no doubt that the day belonged to Becker with a blistering victory.

Elsewhere, Brandon Arrey took fifth place in the 400 metre final posting 49.21 seconds. The race was won by Christopher O’Donnell in 46.82.

Silver went to Marcus Lawler in 47.94 with bronze going to Eanna Madden in 48.11 seconds.

Niamh Kearney took sixth place in the 1500 metre final. Kearney was in the mix coming off the bend but was ran out of it. Kearney posted 4:40.51, just over a second off bronze.

In the men’s event Juan Ignacio Pena posted 4:04.60 for 10th place in what was a slow tactical battle.

Iseult O’Donnell took sixth place in the 800 metre race in 2:14.53, a race won by Louise Shanahan in 2:10.90.

In the anti-sporting 5,000m B final Robert Kelly posted 15:50.84 for seventh place. In the anti-sporting C final Stephen Fay posted 15:00.84

In the A final Kieran Kelly clocked 14:38.02 for 13th place.

Why there is an A, B and C race in a national senior championship is a question the AI competition committee don’t seem to want to answer, practically as heats/semi-finals were part of the schedule up until 2020.

Jessica Afrakomaa posted 13.71 seconds to take sixth place in heat one of the women’s 100 metres.

In the men’s event Michael Farrelly clocked 11.52 to finish seventh in semi-final three. Farrelly has posted 11.35 in his heat to make the semi-finals.

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