O'Sullivan walks to new world 5,000m record
In another record-breaking spree, Robert Heffernan (Togher) rewrote the national 10,000m record which he set last year when he retained his title in 38 mins 47.66 secs. Last year he set the record at 38:58.53.
Despite his spectacular performance, he was content to stay in the shadow of his training partner’s world record and share in the celebrations.
Both arrived back from a training camp near Salzburg midweek where they spent a spell training in the Austrian Alps. And O’Sullivan was the first to show the benefits of that as she claimed the second world record set by an Irish athlete in the 90 years history of the IAAF - the other is the 2,000m record set by Sonia O´Sullivan in Edinburgh eight years ago.
From a long way, it was clear to spectators watching the first event on the two-day programme that the record was on and they cheered her every stride. The 25-year-old Kerry athlete, who trains on the roads around Glenflesk, reacted to their encouragement in the best possible fashion.
“I could hear from the public address that I was on schedule but I tried to keep my concentration and my style,” she said.
“I really felt a good time was on after the first couple of laps but I never relly thought about the world record until I saw the clock with a lap to go and knew that I had a chance. Then I just gave it everything.”
The performance comes as a perfect boost in advance of the European championships which begin get under way in Munich on August 6. And it has been on the cards for some time. O’Sullivan finished 10th in the Olympic Games to provide Ireland’s second best performance after Sonia O´Sullivan’s silver medal. At the Grand Prix of racewalking in Dublin she knocked 40 seconds off the Irish record for 20k.
O’Sullivan said the training camp with Heffernan had worked wonders and they will return there to complete their preparations for the European championships.
Mark Carroll will join them after next Saturday’s 5,000m race in Hechtel as well as Jamie Costin (West Waterford) who has qualified at both 20k and 50k for the European championships.
“It is a fabulous place to train. They were very good to us and they afforded us every facility out there,” said Heffernan. “We will train there and travel to Munich just before our event.”
And they will travel there as live medal hopes following their performances to date which included a 20k national record for Heffernan.
On Saturday he knocked 10 seconds off the record he set last year - despite the fact he did not feel he was in shape to get near the mark after weeks of long mileage.
“I am just delighted with the way things have been going and that’s a real bonus,” he said. “I could not be happier at this point. It is great to know that you are in top form going into the European championships.”
Terry McHugh will be hoping to be in similar shape when he boards the plane for Munich. He, too, set a world record on Saturday in the form of a 19th successive national javelin title, breaking the old record of 18 which he held jointly Dave Norris, the New Zealand triple jumper.
The DCH man claimed the title with his very first throw but fell in agony as he was about to launch his second and has been receiving treatment for a knee injury.
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