Cork City Sports: Nicola Tuthill showcases Olympic quality, Phil Healy records season's best

PARIS BOUND: Ireland’s Nicola Tuthill in action at the Cork City Sports. Pic Credit: Morgan Treacy, Inpho.

Nicola Tuthill was down the farm clipping her horse when the news came through.

The 20-year-old Bandon hammer-thrower had done all the calculations, and then redone them several times over, but dared not to dream until she was able to see her name in black and white.

As it turned out, it was her mother who saw her daughter’s name in black and white, and promptly rang down the farm to relay the news.

On Tuesday midday of last week, World Athletics updated their road to Paris rankings list for the final time. There was Tuthill, sitting 31st in the 32-athlete quota for the hammer.

“I was down the farmyard clipping my horse when mam rang me,” said Tuthill after finishing third in a high-quality Cork City Sports hammer event in 69.90m.

“We had been checking it all that morning. I had just done my training, checked it, and it hadn't updated so I went away down the farm. When mam rang me, I came straight back up to the house.

“I had done all the calculations straight after nationals, looking up the results from all the other national championships. But until you actually see it, you never know if you’ve made it because you don’t know who you might have missed when doing your own calculations. I was relieved when it came through and just excited now.”

Tuthill falling 10cm shy of a 70-metre mark she broke for the first time in late May can be attributed to the heavy block of training she is currently in the midst of ahead of her Olympic debut. And while admitting she was “dying” to throw 70-plus on home soil, it was a Cork City Sports debut she had few complaints after.

“As a kid, I came up every year. To be able to come out here as a competitor and to be able to get on the podium against such a strong field is amazing,” she said of finishing behind 2022 world champion Brooke Andersen (73.10) and last year’s world silver medallist Janee Kassanavoid (70.53).

“The crowd is amazing. The place is almost full. It is brilliant to see so many people around, especially so many young people.

“I am only 20, so I am really excited to go out and experience it all in Paris. And hopefully be able to throw far.”

Immediately after the results of the women’s 200m flashed on the small electronic screen at the finish line, Phil Healy scurried over to the officials in blue coats desperate to find out the wind reading. 

Desperate to find out if the wind reading was legal. It was. And so Healy’s 23.34 was a season’s best. Her graph, with Paris and the 400m relay coming into view, is moving at just the right time.

Healy’s clocking brought her home fifth, with Sophie Becker in sixth (23.51). The race was won by Australia’s Torrie Lewis (23.01).

“It is absolutely super because it is cold and it is 8.40pm, so to come away with a season's best, I am really, really happy,” said the Cork woman.

“I love competing in Cork in front of a home crowd. The atmosphere is superb, it is a credit to the Cork City Sports committee for getting such stacked international fields.

“No matter what kind of shape you arrive to Cork City Sports in, the crowd always brings you on that extra bit. I ran the 100m earlier in the evening (fourth, 11.45), certainly a bit rusty because my reaction out of the blocks was absolutely chronic. I am really happy with that 200m and looking forward to the next few weeks as it is very soon when we do go to Paris.”

USA's Celera Barnes took the aforementioned women’s 100m in 11.14, while Coby Hilton, also from the States, hit the line in 10.08 to claim victory in the men’s 100m.

Cork’s Louise Shanahan (2:02.65) finished second behind McKenna Keegan (2.01.60) of the US in the 800m, and so it was left to the towering Reece Ademola to make sure there was at least one Leesider topping the podium across the evening. Ademola’s fourth jump into the pit measured 7.71m, edging out fellow Corkonian Shane Howard by a single centimetre.

Nick Griggs (7:41.68) dug in for third in the 3,000m, just over a second behind US winner Olin Hacker. Taylor Werner charged to victory in the women’s 3000m in a smart 8:43.12. Sophie O’Sullivan trailed home 12th in 9:08.66.

In the final event of the meet, Dubliner Cathal Doyle had to settle for second in the mile. His 3:54.48 PB came up short of Nathan Green’s 3:53.67.

“I wanted to win,” said Doyle, who is heading to the five-ring circus in the 1,500m. “I was kinda hoping there at the end that Nathan wouldn't have the extra gear, but tactically, I wasn’t right, I should have been further up. You can’t give him an inch. I am still top two in every race this season.”