Louise Shanahan powers through to European 800m final

ONTO THE NEXT ONE: Ireland’s Louise Shanahan reacts to hearing she qualified for the 800m Final. ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Louise Shanahan had never made it beyond a heat at a major championship before now but the Leevale athlete has changed all that in style by booking a third run in as many days.

This morning’s impressive semi-final effort means she will now be going again tomorrow night in the final of the European Championships 800m.

The 25-year-old gave a superb performance, maintaining the ideal position just off the leaders’ shoulders through most of the race and coming home third for one of the three automatic qualifying spots.

Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson took the tape with a time of 2:00.67, Poland’s Anna Wielgosz finished second and Shanahan recorded a 2:01.15 - the second fastest of her career.

She had been physically sick after her exertions in Thursday’s heat and wasn’t all that enamoured with another early start here, but she made light of those concerns.

“It felt like groundhog day when the alarm went off, get up and do it all again. The race was almost identical but I felt so much better. I wasn’t sure if I got the big Q, and to see it next to my name and be in a European final is a dream come true.

“The plan was to race it like a final. I went hard for the first 200, got a good position, and the aim was to then run as tight a line as possible and settle in. I wanted to shut off until 600 and then wake up. With 120 to go I was boxed in and I knew Keely would move forward. I was surprised there weren’t more athletes pouring around the outside. I’m delighted I managed to pull that off.” Her reaction was brilliant as she took off down the front of the stand to embrace members of her family, including her dad and former coach Ray.

JUBILATION: Ireland’s Louise Shanahan leaves the track and runs into the stands to hug her father, Ray Shanahan upon hearing she qualified for the 800m Final. ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

“I didn’t know where they were yesterday, they weren’t noisy enough, but today I saw them before I came out and I noticed there was no one manning the stand. I got a great hug off my dad then was told in no uncertain terms to go back before I got disqualified.” The reward is a lie-in tomorrow and an evening final.

“I’m not complaining, it’s a European final. I’ll go into it and give it my all. To make the final is a huge achievement, we’re already in bonus territory, my goal here was to get out of the heat.

“I ran the heat as if it was a final and I ran this as if it was bonus territory, I was surprised by how much my legs had. I’m absolutely delighted. I knew I could make the final. There was plenty of room for upsets, happy out.” So too we’re the 4x400m women’s team that breezed through to their final with a national record time of 3:26.06 for second place, Sharlene Mawdsley just being passed at the line by her Dutch counterpart as she eased up.

There was disappointment at the start of the day however for Ireland’s 4x-00m relay men’s team with a dropped baton between the second and third leg putting paid to their final hopes A huge disappointment for the team of Israel Olatunde, Mark Smyth, Colin Doyle and Joseph Ojewumi.