Davoren shows she is back on track with 800m win

FREDA DAVOREN, who re-launched her career by finishing third in the road mile at Balmoral a week ago, got back on track on Saturday by outsprinting Kelly McNiece to win the 800m at the AAI International Games in Navan.

For her first track race in almost two years, the UCC graduate, a former national champion both indoors and outdoors over the distance, faced a strong field that included another former national champion, Maura Prendeville, and Niamh Beirne. But it was McNiece of the Lisburn club who took command in the closing stages.

Renowned for her finish, Davoren held her challenge until the finishing straight when she powered her way to win in 2 mins 06.1 secs.

“It was good to get back on the track again and to win was a real bonus,” she said, reflecting on an injury that kept her out of competitive running for more than a year. She went to New Zealand to train for her comeback and, while she had the Balmoral race behind her, she went in with some trepidation.

“I went to the line wondering just what I would do. It seemed so long since I had a track race. But I did all the right things and I am delighted with it.”

She has her sights on a qualifying standard at 1,500m for the world championships in Paris and hopes to open that campaign in Canada in two weeks.

David McCarthy, a finalist in the 400m at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, also had a winning start to his outdoor campaign, and in the process set a new Irish all-comers record when he won the 300m in a hand-timed 34 seconds flat. The fastest electronic time stands to another member of the 400m relay squad, Rob Daly of Dundrum at 34.28 secs, which he ran indoors in Cardiff in February.

“You are always nervous with your first race of the season but it is good to get both the win and the record out of it,” he said.

Another member of the 4x400m squad, all-rounder Antoine Burke who won a silver medal in the high jump at the world junior championships some years ago, launched his 400m hurdles campaign with a four second victory over Scotland’s Liam McDiarmuid.

The Limerick man was a member of the 4x400m team that finished fifth in the final at the European championships in Munich last year.

A powerfully-built athlete, he has been working on the 400m hurdles for some time and is now targeting the event for the coming season, a qualifying standard for the world championships his aim.

Another athlete returning to competitive running was Ballymena sprinter John McAdorey.

The former national champion and Sydney Olympian has been out of action with an injury but he bounced back on Saturday to beat his fellow Sydney team mate Tom Comyns in the 100m.

Anna Boyle completed a sprint double for the Ballymena & Antrim Club when she won the women’s 100m.