Athletics roundup: Healy ninth in loaded Diamond League 1500m

Irish Examiner

13 hours ago

Sarah Healy came home ninth in a loaded 1500m at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on Saturday afternoon, the Dubliner clocking 3:57.95 to continue a remarkably consistent season.
'It was an OK day for me,' said Healy, the reigning European Indoor champion over 3000m. 'Not amazing, not too bad.'
Healy has run 3:57 in her last three 1500m races and looks capable of threatening Ciara Mageean's Irish record of 3:55.87 in her next outing at the Diamond League final in Zurich later this month. She ran in the middle of the pack in Silesia as Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay set a kamikaze pace out front, passing 800m in an astonishing 1:59 then holding on to win in 3:50.42. Kenya's Beatrice Chebet was second in 3:54.73 and Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell – who trains with Healy – third in 3:56.00.
'It was a really great race,' said Healy, who still leads the Diamond League standings over 1500m. 'We knew they were going out really fast at the start and I feel like I raced the first half very well and I just didn't really have the legs the last lap. I'm a little bit disappointed with the place. I just keep running 3:57 at the minute, but the season is going really well so far. Today was difficult, but I'll take a lot of learnings from it.'
In the women's 3000m, Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon just missed the world record of 8:06.11, set by China's Wang Junxia in 1993, the three-time Olympic 1500m champion clocking 8:07.04. Norway's Karsten Warholm turned in a statement performance in the 400m hurdles, breaking the Diamond League record with 46.28, while Britain's Keely Hodgkinson made a superb comeback in her first race since the Paris Olympics, powering to victory over 800m in 1:54.74.
Sarah Lavin was in action in Bern, Switzerland, the 10-time Irish 100m hurdles champion clocking 13.20 (-0.9m/s) in damp conditions to finish fourth, with victory going to Ditaji Kambundji in 12.66.
In Leuven, Belgium, national champion Jack Raftery turned in another strong performance to finish fourth over 400m in 45.50, with Cillín Greene clocking 46.54, Andrew Egan running 47.59 and Chris O'Donnell clocking 47.59. Nick Griggs was the best of the Irish in the 1500m, clocking 3:37.64 to finish 12th.
Meanwhile back in Dublin, Pierre Murchan of Dublin City Harriers took victory in the Irish Life Frank Duffy 10 Mile in the Phoenix Park, clocking 49:02 to beat defending champion Hugh Armstrong (49:45), with Stephen McAuley third in 50:55. In the women's race, Ann-Marie McGlynn (Strabane AC) continued her dominant run in the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Race Series, the reigning national marathon champion winning in a course record of 56:08. Caitlyn Harvey clocked 59:40 for second while Kate Purcell was third in 59:58.
In other news, Listowel AC will host a tribute night next Saturday to Jerry Kiernan, with John Treacy and John Lenihan among the guests who will speak about the late, great distance runner and beloved coach and TV pundit. It will take place at 8pm in the Listowel Arms Hotel and admission is free, with the inaugural Jerry Kiernan 5K taking place the following morning around the roads of Kiernan's native town.
'I don't think Jerry got enough recognition for what he did as an athlete and a coach and we want to keep that memory alive,' said Kevin Lynch, chairperson of Listowel AC. 'He was a gentleman of a man. He had a lot of good friends down here and he was always loved by Listowel whenever he came down.'