‘Buzzing’ Phil Healy looks to grasp Euro opportunity

Phil Healy of Ireland: Into a European final

As major medal chances go, this is as good a chance as Phil Healy is ever likely to get. After a pair of exquisitely executed 400m races in Torun, Poland, the Bandon AC athlete will wake up today as something she has long seemed destined to be: a European senior finalist.

But as great as this championships has been for Ireland’s fastest ever woman, it’d be a shame to come this far and not try to go a little further. At 26, Healy’s first major championship medal could be just two lightning laps of the track away from her.

And yet, it remains unlikely, the only way to approach this evening’s final being through the cold lens of objectivity. Healy came into the event as the sixth fastest in the field and she knew it would take the performance of her life — three of them, in fact — to win the 26th Irish medal in the history of these championships.

Standing in her way are three athletes who appear to be a class apart: Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands along with Polish star Justyna Swiety-Ersetic. But Healy knows as well as anyone the chaos that can ensue in an indoor 400m.

In her heat, Healy powered to the front at halfway and coasted to victory in a controlled 52.00, 100th of a second shy of her lifetime best. In the semi-final last night, she was only second at halfway but surged to the front up the home straight, edging to victory by 6000ths of a second in 52.41.

“I could feel the other athletes around me but I wasn’t giving in, I was getting to that final,” she said. “I wasn’t in front at the bell but Shane (McCormack) told me to back myself, that I had the gears and when I was over on the far side I knew I could take her. I’m just buzzing to get out with the win.”

And now she has the kind of gilt-edged opportunity that comes along once or twice in a career. “Anything can happen in the final,” she said. “You’ve nothing to lose so I’m just looking forward to coming back out.”

In the men’s 1500m final last night, Andrew Coscoran and Paul Robinson acquitted themselves well once again, finishing 7th and 10th respectively. It marked the first time since 1995 that two Irish athletes contested an indoor 1500m final at a major championships, and the ranking points gained will boost their chances of Olympic qualification.

“There’s disappointment, you don’t come in to come 10th,” said Robinson. “But where I came from, it’s been very positive. It’s seven years since I was last at a championships.” 

No one in the field had an answer to the stunning pace of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 20-year-old Norwegian who powered to a facile victory in 3:37.56, but his elation was short-lived after he was soon disqualified for stepping inside the line on a turn. There was much controversy, with a dispute about whether he had been pushed or had indeed pushed one of his competitors prior to the incident.

Marcin Lewandowski of Poland was upgraded to gold, clocking 3:38.06, with Spain’s Jesus Gomez taking silver in 3:38.47. Coscoran hit the line shortly after in 3:40.38, with his training partner Robinson clocking 3:40.74.

Teenage star Cian McPhillips announced his arrival on the international stage with a stunning performance in the men’s 800m heats, the Longford 18-year-old powering up to second place on the final lap to advance with ease to the semi-finals in 1:49.98.

“I didn’t execute it as well as I hoped but luckily I pulled it off the last lap,” said McPhillips, who said he was not nervous in his first senior championship. “Semi-finals in 800s are always brutal, but I’ll go out and see what I can do.” 

Joining him there is two-time European indoor medallist Mark English, who survived a close call in his heat to advance in 1:49.79. John Fitzsimons was edged out in a close heat, the Kildare runner clocking 1:51.00 to finish fifth.

Nadia Power marched on to the women’s 800m semi-finals with an assured showing in today's heats, the 23-year-old positioning herself in the leader’s slipstream and holding off late charges from behind to take second in 2:03.16.

“I was going to take it out at that pace anyway so I was delighted to see someone else do all the donkey work,” she said. “It was as straightforward as it could have been. It felt harder than it should have but I know I’ll be ready to go for the semi-final.” 

There was heartbreak for medal hope Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner, who was ranked third fastest in the entire field but who could only finish fourth in 2:04.47 after a messy race, with only the top three advancing. 

Her Irish teammate Georgie Hartigan met a similar fate on her senior international debut, finishing fourth in 2:04.74 in the final heat. Sophie Becker bowed out of the 400m after finishing a decent third in her heat in 53.31, as did Sharlene Mawdsley, who finished fifth in her heat in 53.68.