Sarah Lavin and Kate O'Connor shine bright at National Indoor Championships

Ireland’s Sarah Lavin. Pic: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

They may be good friends off the track, but Sarah Lavin and Kate O’Connor became rivals on it this afternoon – their clash in the women’s 60m hurdles proving the undoubted highlight on day one of the 123.ie National Indoor Championships in Abbotstown.

It was no surprise that Lavin, the hurdles specialist and a two-time world indoor finalist, again continued her domestic dominance, powering to her eighth national indoor title in 8.07.

But O’Connor lost absolutely nothing in defeat, the 25-year-old multi-events star taking a giant step forward over the barriers as she claimed silver in a huge lifetime best of 8.21, moving third on the Irish all-time list behind Derval O’Rourke and Lavin.

Three weeks out from the World Indoors in Poland, those eight seconds were proof enough that things have progressed brilliantly for O’Connor in the five months since she last competed – when she won a historic heptathlon silver at the Tokyo World Championships.

Lavin – who had roomed with O’Connor ahead of that event and offered her technical tips on her hurdling – produced another crisp, classy display to win her 19th national senior title in total. Ever the perfectionist, however, it left the 31-year-old wanting more.

“I would have liked a season’s best but sub-eight is a difficult task,” said Lavin, who has a best of 7.98 this year. “There were things I did very well and things I probably need to tidy up in the next few weeks. It’s about carrying the speed and intent through the race. In training we work on all the parts in isolation and racing is the chance to bring them together. You always want more, but I’m grateful to get another national title.” 

For O’Connor, the event marked a hugely impressive return to the competitive arena as she smashed her previous best of 8.30. “To get a silver and come away with a PB too, I’m over the moon,” she said. “It’s a great start to the season and I hope I can do more magical things this year. I’d love to keep getting closer and closer to (Lavin).

“The training is all coming together and I hope I can replicate the same when I get to World Indoors. I came here to sharpen up, see where I’m at, then hopefully make a few tweaks before World Indoors and then go out and perform with those top girls. Training has been great, I’ve got a fire in my belly, I know what I want to do this year and I’ll try my best to go out and do it.” O’Connor will be back in action in the long jump on Sunday at 12.30pm.

Elsewhere, two-time Olympian Sophie Becker powered to gold in the women’s 200m, the Wexford sprinter breaking her personal best to win her third national indoor title in 23.43.

“My first 200m title and a big PB to go along with it: two boxes ticked,” she said. “My 400s haven’t been going as I’d have liked and the 200 helps my 400 so to know I can run a 200m in that time helps my confidence so much.” 

Becker said the winter was a “really tough slog” but that the fruits of her labour are “starting to show now.” Elsewhere, Mark Smyth of Raheny claimed the men’s 200m title in 21.11, defeating Clonliffe’s Marcus Lawler (21.24) and Tinryland’s Adam Murphy (21.68).

Adam Nolan of St Laurence O’Toole proved a class apart in the men’s 60m hurdles, taking gold with ease in 8.03, while Aoife O’Sullivan edged gold in the high jump on countback over Sommer Lecky, both with a best of 1.75m. David Onwudiwe and Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen claimed the triple jump titles with respective bests of 13.96m and 12.54m.

Sharlene Mawdsley cruised to victory in both her heat and semi-final of the women’s 400m, the Newport sprinter clocking 53.40 and 52.59 with apparent ease. She looks primed to claim her sixth national senior indoor title, her third over 400m, on Sunday.

On day two of the nationals, the showpiece event looks set to be the men’s 3000m, where Andrew Coscoran, Nick Griggs and Darragh McElhinney will race off for the two available spots at next month’s World Indoors in Poland.

Coscoran and Griggs both have the automatic qualifying standard of 7:33, while McElhinney’s 7:36.83 puts him comfortably within the top-30 cutoff on the top lists. Athletics Ireland’s selection criteria states that the winner will be an automatic selection, while the next man up will be at the selectors’ discretion, though it’s highly likely that the first two across the line will book their ticket to Poland.

All eyes will be on Bori Akinola in the men’s 60m final as the UCD athlete aims to make it back-to-back titles and potentially better his recent Irish record of 6.54.

Day One Results 

Women’s 200m: 1 S Becker (Raheny Shamrock) 23.43, 2 M Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers) 24.07, 3 M O'Reilly (Dundrum South Dublin) 24.14.

Men’s 200m: 1 M Smyth (Raheny Shamrock) 21.11, 2 M Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers) 21.24, 3 A Murphy (Tinryland) 21.68.

Women’s 60mH: 1 S Lavin (Emerald) 8.07, 2 K O'Connor (Dundalk St. Gerards) 8.21, 3 O Mannion (South Galway) 8.45.

Men’s 60mH: 1 A Nolan (St. Laurence O'Toole) 8.03, 2 S Carmody (Leevale) 8.19, 3 C Connolly (Le Chéile) 8.45.

Women’s High Jump: 1 A O'Sullivan (Liscarroll) 1.75, 2 S Lecky (Finn Valley) 1.75, 3 L Duffy (Bohermeen) 1.65, 3 M Fleming (Leevale) 1.65. 

Men’s High Jump: 1 M Ibrahim Halil (Raheny Shamrock) 1.93, 2 D Kelly (Craughwell) 1.90, 3 E Osas (Ratoath) 1.90. 

Men’s WFD: 1 M Healy (Leevale) 9.11 NR, 2 D Tierne (Leevale) 7.99, 3 R Higgins (Na Fianna) 7.08. 

Women’s WFD: 1 K Pacerinskaite (Fanahan McSweeney) 8.70 NR, 2 L Dolan (Ferbane) 6.46, 3 B McDyer (Finn Valley) 6.29. 

Men’s Triple Jump: 1 D Onwudiwe (Ennis Track) 13.96, 2 D Fahy (Loughrea) 13.94, 3 J Gillespie (Finn Valley) 13.75. 

Women’s Triple Jump: 1 D Doulaptsi Teeuwen (Raheny Shamrock) 12.54, 2 C McDonagh (South Sligo) 12.21, 3 A Ryan (Moycarkey Coolcroo) 11.49.