High hopes for Heffernan in Helsinki walk
The training season started brightly as he opened his campaign with a third place behind his sometime training partner, Francisco Javier Fernandez from Spain, in a 10k in Almeria, and then finished ninth at the Grand Prix in Tijuana in March.
But then he succumbed to a hip problem which required a hefty bout of physiotherapy before departing to Poland for a spell under his coach, the legendary Robert Korzeniowski.
He returned to retain his national 10k track title with tales of weeks of solitary confinement and was on the plane back to Poland to complete his preparations for today’s race.
“It’s a difficult one to call but I feel I am in good shape,” he said.
“I had my best training stretch ever up to the injury. The times I was doing in training were scary. It was just unfortunate. I picked up the injury. It took a long time to get it right but I feel I have done everything I could since then. I don’t have any problems with my hip right now.”
Heffernan is not the only one hoping for big things in Helsinki. Irish team mate James Nolan displayed some fine form in Santry last weekend when he produced a 55 second final lap in the Morton Memorial Mile.
“I feel my form is coming around,” he said. “A lot of things have been going right for me lately. I am going into those championships with a bit of momentum and that is something that has not happened to me in a long time.”
He lines up for the third heat of the 1,500m this evening (6.53pm Irish time).
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase Roisin McGettigan, 10.05am (Irish time).
Men’s 20k Walk:
Robert Heffernan, 4.40pm. Men’s 1,500m heats:
James Nolan, 6.35pm
Women’s 10,000m Final:
Marie Davenport, 7.15pm
Women’s 20k Walk:
Olive Loughnane, 9.35am; Women’s 400m Heats:
Karen Shinkins, 9.55am.
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