Lawler and Healy making huge strides
Lawler (St Laurence O’Toole AC) and Healy (Bandon AC) had a golden summer that started on a sunny Saturday in Tullamore in June where they broke the Irish Schools 100m and 200m records in the senior boys and senior girls categories respectively — Lawler (CBS Carlow) running 10.59 and 20.87 with Healy (Coláiste na Toirbhirte) running 11.83 and 23.98.
They continued to blaze a trail through the sizzling summer that now seems a distant memory and showed their international credentials at the European Junior Track and Field Championships in Rieti, Italy with Lawler fourth in the 200m and Healy in the same position in the 100m.
The heat will still be on, thankfully, as they compete indoors at the state-of-the-art international arena in Athlone today and tomorrow where they’ll be looking to show their senior rivals a clean pair of heels.
Both were in record-breaking form last week in their favoured events at the Irish Universities Championships. Lawler broke the national junior 200m record running 21.26 while Healy powered to a new women’s U23 record in the 60m in 7.36 seconds.
Healy contests the 60m in what promises to be a fascinating duel against City of Lisburn’s Amy Foster, who ran 7.33 at the British Indoor Championships last weekend. Both are narrowly outside the world indoor standard (7.32) and it’s going to be one of the quickest battles of the weekend.
“I’m going to try and get the standard but I’m not chasing it,” said Healy of the qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland on March 7-9.
The ‘Bandon Bullet’ has made further strides since linking up with new coach Shane McCormack of Menapians in Wexford in August and is settling in well to college life in UCC where she is studying nursing.
“It’s going well,” said the fresher whose longer term ambition is to become a senior international. “I’ve 25-30 hours a week (study) which is manageable and I’ve Fridays off. There’s great facilities also. I’ve been able to train indoors on the strip at the Sonia O’Sullivan track which I haven’t been able to do before. I’m looking to make the break from the junior to the senior ranks and run the 100m at the European Championships this summer. The B standard is 11.60 and my personal best is 11.63. I’ve knocked a big chunk off my 60m (7.58 to 7.36) this season so hopefully I can in the 100m as well.”
While Healy will only contest the 60m this weekend, Lawler will tackle the 60m and the 200m. Lawler, who is more of a languid runner than the powerful Healy, has struggled over 60m this indoor season and feels he is under no pressure as a result in the short sprint but is eyeing the stadium record in the 200m (21.25).
“There is no pressure in the 60m because I’m so far down the list,” remarked Lawler candidly of his eighth-place ranking (6.93) on the seasonal list headed by David Hynes (Menapians) on 6.81. “Anything can happen in the 60m and I’ll need a good start. I’m looking to run a good 200m and hopefully not too far off the stadium record. Winning is the priority but it would be nice to get another p.b.”
The IT Carlow student is very much “mammy’s” boy but not in a derogatory sense. They are a team in a coach-athlete relationship that has made him the fastest Irish schoolboy in history and laid a foundation that could lead him to being the fastest Irish man ever. Patricia Lawler (nee Amond) was a top sprinter in her own right as a former schools champion and running 23 seconds for 200m. And that experience allied with linking up with top sprints coach John Coghlan in Dublin one day a week has helped the teenager’s whirlwind progress.
“Mammy is still the boss,” said Lawler. “She’s a good coach and knows her stuff. John (Coghlan) helps out with the technical stuff and I went away to Tenerife for a week (January 3-11) with him and his group and learned a lot. I’ve a long way to go but eventually I’d like to make an Olympic final and run against those Jamaican boys.”
For now he’ll make do with the lightning-quick blue boards of Athlone but his and Healy’s symmetric rise looks destined for the senior international stage.
Action gets under way at 1pm today and there will be live coverage on RTÉ tomorrow from 3pm.
Rose-Anne Galligan (Newbridge) and Ciara Everard (UCD) go head-to-head over four laps in a bid to become national champion and perhaps achieve the world indoor standard of 2:03.0. Everard made the European indoor final last year while Galligan set a new Irish record outdoors.
Ferrybank’s Kelly Proper has a bulging trophy cabinet, having bagged national titles galore in recent years. She contests the 60m, 200m and long jump. Expect at least two gold medals.
John Travers had the crowd in the AIT arena on their feet last year as he smashed the field to win the men’s 3,000m in 7:58. The Donore Harrier studies in AIT and the home crowd will be hoping for a repeat performance.
With Derval O’Rourke still recovering from Achilles surgery, UCD’s young pretender, Sarah Lavin, should prove unchallenged in the women’s 60m Hurdles. She’ll also be looking to provide some cheer to her boyfriend, the prodigious Mark English, who had to withdraw from the 800m due to a respiratory tract infection
Thomas Barr (Ferrybank) and Timmy Crowe (Dooneen) renew their rivalry from last week’s 400m tussle at the University championships that resulted in Barr running 46.97 — a shade outside the world indoor standard (46.80).
Phil Healy and Amy Foster battle it out in the women’s 60m in a bid for the world indoor standard of 7.32 while the men’s 60m is up for grabs between a host of athletes.
- More information: www.jumpingthegun.ie
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