Andrew Coscoran shows class to clinch Dutch gold

The Irish athlete earned an impressive 1,500m win at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Hengelo. 

Andrew Coscoran: 'The reason I got the win was good positioning'. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

With a performance as classy as it was composed, Andrew Coscoran scored an impressive win over 1500m at the FBK Games in the Dutch city of Hengelo this evening, the 26-year-old powering to victory in 3:37.97, a rare win for an Irish athlete at a Continental Tour Gold meeting.

In a race where the pace dawdled through 800m in 1:58, Coscoran coasted towards the front on the penultimate lap. He struck for home on the last turn, but was soon passed by Britain’s Elliot Giles, but the Balbriggan athlete maintained his form admirably in the last 50 metres to edge back in front, winning by three hundredths of a second. Luke McCann came home sixth in 3:38.62.

“When he went by me it was about, just keep moving and hold your rhythm and luckily I passed him and dipped for the line,” said Coscoran. 

“A lot of that race I was running in lane two but it allowed me to get in a great position. The reason I got the win was good positioning.” 

Sarah Lavin turned in an impressive performance in the 100m hurdles at the same meeting, clocking a season’s best of 12.91 to finish fifth. “I got out well, had a good start,” she said. “I’d have liked to be top three but, given everything, I have to be really grateful for that. It’s up there with some of my best.” 

Thomas Barr finished fifth in the 400m hurdles in 49.52, won by USA’s CJ Allen in 48.24. “I was hoping to go sub-49 but it was quite windy down the back straight,” he said. “My speed has been on fire – really, really quick – but I didn’t get to use it as much as I’d have liked due to the wind. I’m happy to get another race under the belt and to be injury-free and healthy.” 

Barr will be in action next weekend in Sollentuna, Sweden, before competing at the European Games in Poland.

Sharlene Mawdsley finished fourth in the 400m in 52.14, won by Dutch star Femke Bol in 50.11. “It wasn’t too bad, I think I’ve more to come,” said Mawdsley. “I’ve been training hard this year. Paris is next year so I don’t want to make the same mistakes of two years ago.” 

Mark English was in action in Chorzow, Poland, where the four-time European medallist had an off-colour run, finishing last of 13 in 1:49.95.

Meanwhile at the Irish Schools’ Championships on Saturday, Adam Nolan of Scoil Chonglais was the star, smashing the Irish U-20 110m hurdles record with 13.70, well below the 13.89 record he ran at the Leinster Schools’. He also claimed long jump gold with 6.74m.

There was a stunning performance in the minor girls’ 800m from Freya Bateman, the Mount Mercy Cork athlete clocking 2:08.99, which would also have bettered the junior and intermediate championships records. The intermediate girls’ 3,000m was a cracker with Clodagh Gill of St Mary’s College Ballina storming clear to win in 9:49.82.

Brothers Fintan and Ethan Dewhirst, students at St Columba’s Glenties, both claimed gold in the 400m hurdles, with Fintan clocking 55.19 at senior level and Ethan running 56.09 at intermediate.

Elsewhere, Poland’s Pawel Kosek was first man home at the Cork City Marathon, clocking 2:28:24 ahead of Ireland’s Gary O’Hanlon (2:28:58), with Britain’s Georgie Bruinvels the women’s champion in 2:42:15. In Dublin, over 20,000 took to the streets for the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon, with Nakita Burke from Letterkenny AC winning in 34:27 ahead of national marathon champion Courtney McGuire (34:33) and Teresa Doherty (34:58).