Emma Hickey finishes a fine fifth in punishing Skopje heat
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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Daniel Wiffen cites stomach issue after eighth place in world 800m freestyle final as Ellen Walshe makes 200m butterfly decider
Wiffen, who led the field through the opening 350 metres, faded in the latter half to come home in 7:58.56, nearly 14 seconds off his personal best. The 24-year-old later revealed he had been struggling with stomach issues during the race. "Obviously not my best showing, from last year winning the Olympics to coming eighth in the final', Wiffen said after the race. "But honestly, I'm happy to be in the final, still progressing, still getting those nerves up. You know, that's what sport's about, trying to get myself uncomfortable, and I was definitely uncomfortable in that race. "I'm pretty sure I was leading at one point and then I got to 400m and then my stomach was in pieces but, you know, I'm happy to be in the final, I'm happy to represent Ireland again in a final.'' There was much better news for Wiffen's fellow Olympian Ellen Walshe, who delivered one of the standout Irish performances of the night by breaking her own Irish record in the 200m butterfly to secure a place in Thursday's final. The 24-year-old had entered the semi-finals as the seventh seed with a time of 2:09.15 but dropped a stunning 0.73 seconds from her personal best to clock 2:07.69 and finish third in her semi. She now heads into the final ranked fourth overall. "I'm delighted,' said Walshe afterwards. "Like it was an event I really didn't want to take back up, and I think just to see how far I can get it, I have to be happy. At junior level I really struggled to kind of move it on but now I can see a lot of progress and the back end's definitely there.' Looking ahead to Thursday's final (12:02pm Irish time), Walshe added: "I'm looking forward to tomorrow to see if I can be a little bit better through the front speed. I'm in against some really big names, so it's going to be exciting.' Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers will be the top seed in the final after posting a 2:06.13 in the semis. Elsewhere, Danielle Hill narrowly missed out on a place in the 50m backstroke final despite producing a season's best of 27.71 in the semi-finals, just seven hundredths of a second off her Irish record. The Larne swimmer finished twelfth overall. "I don't know, very mixed emotions,' Hill reflected. "It is fast. It's now become an Olympic event, so a few more people are a little bit more switched on. I want to be in that final, but I've been around that time now for a couple of years, so there's something we've got to look at and change.' Thursday will see a busy morning for Team Ireland with five swimmers and one diver in action. Hill returns for the 100m freestyle, John Shortt lines up in the 200m backstroke, and Mona McSharry, Ellie McCartney, and Eoin Corby are all set for the 200m breaststroke. In diving, Jake Passmore begins his campaign in the 3M springboard preliminaries. With 66 entrants, the event is split into two groups. Passmore will need to await the conclusion of the second preliminary to learn if he's progressed to the top 18 and secured a place in the semi-final.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Emma Hickey finishes a fine fifth in punishing Skopje heat
EMMA HICKEY of United Striders AC delivered a stand-out performance for Team Ireland at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), finishing a superb fifth in the 3,000m final in North Macedonia on Monday.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Euro champ Sarah Healy pays tribute to Ciara Mageean and looks forward to Worlds
Sarah Healy has described Ciara Mageean as "such a fighter" as her Team Ireland colleague continues her cancer treatment. Healy, who won the European Indoors 3000m title in March, was shocked when the beloved Portaferry athlete made the announcement at the start of the month. "Obviously it was such sad news to hear," said the 24-year-old. "And yeah, it's really shocking to hear when someone so young and so healthy faces something like that. "But just sending her support and we know that she's such a fighter and I'm sure she'll, as she said herself, take that fight into what she's facing now. We're all just thinking of her and are behind her. And I guess it really puts a lot of things in perspective." Sadly, Mageean won't be able to compete at the World Championships in September after she won Europeans gold last year and then had her Olympic dream ripped away by an Achilles tear. Healy will fly the flag for Irish women's middle distance running in the 33-year-old's absence after a breakthrough year. Her own Olympic dream also ended in heartbreak, but on the track, as she failed to translate strong form into performances when it really counted in Paris. A mentality change in the aftermath saw her strike gold in the Euro Indoors as she focused more on the enjoyment of competing than the pressure of performing on the biggest stages. Sarah Healy wins the Women's 1500m during the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, part of the 2025 Diamond League at Stadio Olimpico on June 6 (Image:) Healy has backed that up over a hugely encouraging summer of Diamond League runs - including victory in Rome - that leave her top of the standings with four meetings left. "Which is almost kind of funny," she smiled. "I think it's just because I've won one of them, but it's really cool and I'm going to race in Silesia and then hopefully the final in Zurich. "This year I was lucky enough to just get into the first one and win it - from there you're sorted in terms of getting into the next ones. The women's 1500 is really nicely spaced apart on the schedule." It is suggested to her that a string of PBs confirm that she is in the best form of her life. "It's more the racing than the times," said Healy. "I've obviously run a few of my fastest times ever, which is great, but I've been more happy with my performances and places than my times, to be honest. That's given me more confidence and I'm hoping there's faster in me - and I think there is." The former UCD athlete will be at Morton Stadium in Santry to compete in the National Senior Track and Field Championships this weekend, but in the 800m rather than the 1500m or 3000m events. Olympian Sarah Healy was speaking to media ahead of this weekend's National Senior Track and Field Championships which take place at Morton Stadium across Saturday Aug 2nd and Sunday Aug 3rd (Image: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile) Healy rarely competes at the distance but sees this as a great opportunity to run a fast one. "It will probably be a good quality field at nationals and it's just a good chance for me to challenge myself in a different way," she remarked. "I'm just lucky I was able to do it at home. Normally, running an 800 brings me on a lot in the 1500 so that was my thought process." The Worlds are just six weeks away and Healy is tentatively eyeing up another podium finish. "That's obviously the main goal," she acknowledged. "The big goal would be to make the final, I've never made a (outdoor) final before and in Paris I didn't even make the semi-final, so I'm just taking it one round at a time. "I've improved my world ranking this year to seventh, which is a lot higher than I've ever been ranked before, but obviously it means nothing once you get there. But based off that I do know I have the ability to make a final - and once you make a final who knows what can happen. "At the stage of my career that I'm at now, a final would be huge, a huge step forward and that would be my aim. I know I'm capable. I know I'm the fittest I've ever been and feel confident, but also know that I've got more in me this season. "So I'm still excited to race, I want to race more and I've still got a lot to do. So it's kind of the perfect place to be, I think." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
