Frustrated Heffernan smashes Irish record

ROBERT HEFFERNAN was determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground yesterday after knocking 10 seconds off his old Irish record for the 20k walk at the European Cup in Leamington Spa on Sunday.

“In fact I am very disappointed that I did not get a medal,” he said, reflecting on how he saw his chances of taking a medal fade over the final 400m when he had the finish line firmly in his sights but had to settle for fifth position in 80 mins 15 secs.

It was on a day that saw the West Waterford athlete, Jamie Costin, slash 28 seconds off his previous best for 50k when he finished 15th in 3:53:30 to join Heffernan, young Colin Griffin and Olive Loughnane among the qualifiers for this year’s World Championships and next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

It was in China that Cork man Robert Heffernan achieved his qualifying standard after battling his way back from successive operations for double hernias last year.

After achieving the qualifying standard he then had the disappointment of a disqualification in Italy a couple of weeks ago — a hometown decision that astounded his coach, triple Olympic gold medallist, Robert Korzeniowski.

He set out to prove a point by taking a medal at the European Cup and he almost did it on Sunday.

“Everything went perfectly for me and I had the medal almost in my grasp,” he recalled. “That’s why I was so disappointed.

“But, on the positive side, this performance has taken me to another level. It was a huge jump for me. Since I came back, I have been progressing bit by bit but this was a big jump, and I feel it really helps my confidence. Now I know I can get up there and mix it with the really big guys.’’

Jamie Costin went through two years of recuperation and rehabilitation after a serious traffic accident that all but ended his career in Greece on the eve of the Athens Olympics last year.

On Sunday his many fans celebrated when he achieved the qualifying standard for Beijing next year. In Sydney back in 2000 he won a standing ovation from the fans in the stadium when he refused assistance after crossing the finish line.

Later he spent several hours on a drip to replace fluids and nutrients lost during the 50k race which was held in blistering heat.