Luke McCann notches 1500m personal best, narrowly misses out on automatic Olympic qualification 

The time and bonus points will ensure he’s well within the cut-off to secure a Games place via world rankings.

Luke McCann of Ireland. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Luke McCann smashed his 1500m personal best to finish second at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday, the Dubliner clocking 3:33.66 to move fourth on the Irish all-time list behind Andrew Coscoran, Ray Flynn and Marcus O’Sullivan.

McCann returned to action last month after an extended layoff with injury but has been in impressive form since, clocking 3:34.32 last week In Ostrava. In Stockholm, he came home a close second behind Robert Farken of Germany (3:33.53) and while he has yet to secure the automatic Olympic standard (3:33.50), the time and bonus points will ensure he’s well within the cut-off to secure a place via world rankings. Sophie Becker was also in action in Stockholm, the Wexford athlete clocking 52.17 to finish third in the pre-programme 400m.

At the Irish Schools Championships on Friday and Saturday, over 1,000 athletes from 300 schools took to the track and field in Tullamore. Emily Bolton of Mount Sackville had an impressive 1500m-3000m double at intermediate level, while Clodagh Gill of St Mary’s Ballina got the better of Anna Gardiner in a thrilling battle for the senior girls’ 3000m, Gill winning in 10:01.98.

Fatima Amusa of Bishopstown CS took the senior girls’ 100m in 12.50 with Sean Aigboboh of Rathgar winning the senior boys’ crown in 10.90. Veronica O’Neill (Thornhill College Derry) was the leading light over hurdles, winning the senior girls’ 400m hurdles in 60.94 and 100m hurdles in 14.52.

Seán Doggett (Colaiste an Eachreidh) finalised his preparations for the upcoming European Championships in Rome by winning the senior boys’ 400m in 48.10, while Freya Renton of Sacred Heart Westport turned in an impressive solo display in the junior girls’ 1500m, clocking 4.27:95 to come up just half a second shy of Emer McKee’s championship record.

The senior boys’ race was billed as one of the races of the day and it delivered as Cormac Dixon (Holy Family Community School) and Sean Cronin (Colaiste Ghlór Na Mara) rounded the final together. Dixon had more left in the home-straight showdown, taking gold in 4:02.43.