Olympic dream comes true for McCambridge

The Irish Olympic team has a new member with Maria McCambridge securing qualification for the London Games at the Rome Marathon yesterday.

McCambridge (Letterkenny AC) posted a time of 2:36:37 and joins Linda Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin AC) 2:36:23 and Ava Hutchinson (Dundrum South Dublin AC) 2:35:33 as the third Irish women to achieve the marathon standard for London. McCambridge reached the halfway mark in 1:17:37 and despite a slight dip in pace, finished strongly to come home comfortably inside the Olympic A standard of 2:37.

Meanwhile a number of the elite Irish race walkers recorded impressive performances at the Lugano Grand Prix in Switzerland.

Robert Heffernan (Togher AC) was sixth in the 20km race (1:20:39) just outside his national record of 1:19:22 while Olive Loughnane (Loughrea AC) finished 10th in the 20km in 1:32:26. World Youth Gold medallist Kate Veale (West Waterford AC) won the junior women’s race over 10km in 47.01. Veale dominated the race, finishing almost three minutes clear Mellado Coralie of France.

Emma Prendiville (Farranfore Maine Valley AC) finished fourth in 51:32. James Treanor (Shercock AC) competed in the junior men’s 10k race, finishing fifth in a time of 45:08.