Women’s relay team take bronze at University Games

IRELAND picked up a fourth athletics medal on the final day of the World University Games in Turkey as the women’s squad finished third in the 4x100m relay.

Russia won gold in Izmir in 43.62 seconds with France taking silver in 43.73.

The Irish quartet of Derval O’Rourke, Anna Boyle, Ailis McSweeney and Emily Maher finished in 44.69, holding off Canada for the bronze medal by just under one 1/10th of a second.

Back on the roads of Phoenix Park in Dublin, Limerick’s Neil Cusack Jnr romped to victory in the adidas Frank Duffy 10 Mile with a time of 50mins 29s, finishing 55 seconds ahead of Finland’s Jarko Kero.

Cusack, a son of former Boston and Dublin marathon winner Neil Cusack Snr, was the pre-face favourite following solid recent form which included a third-place finish in the park in last month’s adidas Irish Runner Five Mile Challenge.

He led from the start, setting a very fast pace which he sustained for the entire race, passing the halfway mark in just under 25 minutes. Kero, and third-placed Pat Byrne of Tinryland Club, Carlow, stayed with the Limerick man, but were never able to break his lead.

First woman home was adidas Irish Runner 5-Mile winner Pauline Curley in a time of 57:06, in her debut over 10 miles.

“I prefer the five-mile, or 10K races to be honest, and hadn’t really intended to (compete)” admitted Curley after the race.

“I ran a couple of races during the week, and they didn’t go too well for me so I thought, ‘why not?’, just go out and enjoy the run - I never expected to actually win”

The surprise win has left Curley contemplating a hat trick attempt in this year’s series by competing in next month’s adidas BHAA Half-Marathon, the last race in the series before October’s adidas Dublin Marathon.