Canada's Crystal blasts to national record at Cork City Sports

Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel shone brightest at the 66th edition of the Cork City Sports last night, the 25-year-old blasting to a national record of 22.50 in a race in which Bandon’s Phil Healy broke new ground with a huge personal best of 23.32.

In warm, still conditions at Cork IT, Emmanuel powered away from the field from the outset, rounding the turn two metres to the good and that was an advantage she extended all the way to the line to smash the Canadian record of 22.62, which dates back to 1983.

Runner-up was Jodie Williams of Britain in 23.27, with Healy coming home strongly in third to take more than three tenths of a second off her lifetime best. Her time fell shy of the qualifying standard for the world championships in London (23.10), but proved the perfect preparation for the 22-year-old ahead of this weekend’s national championships in Santry.