Drumm beats Euro star Mageean to claim 1500m crown

While some fine early season sprinting and a number of exciting finishes were the highlights of the Leevale Track & Field meeting at Cork IT on Saturday, the big upset of the day came in the women’s 1500m, where European Junior silver medallist Ciara Mageean had to settle for second behind Orla Drumm.

In a disappointing field, just Drumm and Mageean faced the starter, with Leevale man Chris Harrington acting as pacemaker.

Drumm, who won the Irish indoor title at 1500m back in February, was clearly in better race shape as she comfortably sat on 20-year-old Mageean’s shoulder through a fast opening lap of 63 seconds. As the pace slowed in cold and windy conditions, the UCC athlete — a native of Doonen in Limerick and with a best of 4:14.08 — waited until the final 150m before moving away for an emphatic victory in 4:18.48.