Ó Lionáird confident he is hitting top gear as London nears

Ciarán Ó Lionáird got his Olympic campaign back on track at Cork City Sports last night when he finished fifth of five athletes to go under four minutes in the featured Cork Airport Men’s Mile, which was won by Ryan Gregson (Australia) with a perfectly executed 3:57.98.

Second and third went to Americans, Liam Boylan-Pett, 3:58.38, and Elliott Heath, 3:58.48, while Ó Lionáird was overtaken by Ireland’s newest sub four man, Paul Robinson (St Coca’s), 3:58.70, before finishing fifth in 3:58.84.

“I’m happy with that start and I’m about to go out and do a (training) session now,” he said. “It was just a workday, we didn’t ease up much for it and I haven’t done anything to prepare so I was kind of thrown into the deep end and I was a little bit like a baby calf, stumbling around for the first two laps. I felt it was like my first time racing again.