Ryan’s record as Heffernan walks tall

WALKER Robert Heffernan and high jumper Deirdre Ryan produced superb displays at the AAI Indoor Games in Nenagh yesterday.

Heffernan was three seconds outside his national indoor 3,000m record with a 11:15.19 victory while Ryan set a national record of 1.88m.

Heffernan was delighted with the performance. “The record was not a priority,” he stressed. “What was more important to me was my technique and that felt okay.”

Heffernan recently enjoyed a training spell with triple Olympic gold medallist Robert Korzeniowski in Poland and it was a worthwhile trip according to the Corkman.

“Robert (Korzeniowski) told me where I was but I was beginning to wonder. Today I know he was right. He told me it would take me about four races to get it right and that’s how it is working out. I came in here after another hard week of training but I felt so different today. I could have walked and walked. I now have two big weeks of training and then the national indoor championships.”

It was also a big day for second placed Colin Griffin (Ballinamore) who equalled his personal best when finishing second in 11:45.69.

John P. Leahy (Limerick) won the shot putt with a massive throw of 16.70m, well beyond his previous best 16.54m which he set outdoors.

Jer O’Donoghue, who will be a key figure in the team for Cardiff next weekend, highlighted his consistency winning the 60m in 6.83 sec.

Ciara Sheehy (DCH) and Ailis McSweeney (Leevale) met for the first time and shared the spoils in the 200m with the former racing clear to win in 24.29 secs, McSweeney was second with 24.81 secs and Dawn Kelly (Belgooly) third in 27.44 secs.

McSweeney though was unstoppable in the 60m. However, the electronic timing failed and she was credited with 7.3 secs. The qualifying standard for the European indoor championships is an electronic 7.40 secs so the AAI will be forced to make a decision on the matter.Emily Maher, who relaunched her career with a personal best time of 7.45 secs in Loughborough at the weekend, will also compete in Cardiff. She will be joined by Derval O’Rourke who finished second to Sara Claxton in the 60m hurdles in 8.25 secs at Loughborough. That time qualified the Leevale hurdler for the European indoor championships in Madrid and yesterday there was another qualifier when Deirdre Ryan (DSD) won the women’s high jump with 1.88m.

Paul Hession, who missed out so narrowly on last year’s Olympics, got his season off to a flying start in Loughborough where he ran 6.91 and 6.92 in his two races.