A sun-kissed evening in Morton Stadium, Santry, with top athletes competing at the annual Morton Games. The crowd turned up ready for some great action and were great support for the athletes participating. It was a successful outing for some of the Irish athletes, as they prepare for the European Championships, which takes place in Berlin from 7-12 August.
400m
Ireland’s fastest woman, Phil Healy, decided to move up in distance and competed in the 400m. Healy broke away from the field and led at the final homestretch but was out-sprinted at the finish as she was passed by winner, Maggie Barrie. Healy held on to second and finished in 52.88, just short of her personal best of 52.08. Dublin City Harrier’s Catherin McManus ran 54.81 finishing 8th. Finished with the 400m distance, Healy turns her focus to the 100m & 200m events.
Phil Healy became Ireland’s fastest woman on Monday as she broke the 23 seconds mark in the 200m. Healy will compete in the 100m and 200m in Berlin and will undoubtedly impress yet again.
800m
Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean put on a good performance in the 800m, finishing second behind American, Hannah Green. Ciara ran 2:02.13, the second fastest time in her career. It's great to see Ciara in good form as she returned back to winning ways last week in Barcelona with 4:04.14 in the 1500m, her third fastest ever time.
Ciara will compete in the 1500m at the European Championships, almost exactly two years after she won bronze in the same competition.
It was also a great return to Dublin for Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner as she ran an impressive 2:02.63 to come fourth. She had set 2:03.05 aa her seasons best in May when in Florida and it's great to see her bettering the time again. Last month, Siofra wrapped up her unforgettable 4-year NCAA career at Villanova, finishing up with a fourth place finish at the DI NCAA Outdoor Championships in Oregon. Siofra will have also have her sights set on the European Championships in Berlin.
UCD’s Claire Mooney looked to be boxed in at the 400m mark and working hard to drive on in the final lap. She placed 7th overall with a time of 2:03.19. Claire has been in fantastic form as she won the Belfast International with a PB of 2.02.61, beating Mageean and Healy at the event.
Mooney also spent some time in the United States at St.John's University for her undergraduate degree, having a great success and experience there. She returned to Ireland, then starting her studies in UCD and representing them on the track in 2017.
1500m
Four Irish athletes competed in the action packed 1500m. Amy O'Donoghue was the first Irish athlete to cross the line in 4:17.03, finishing 10th. Amy ran in Moyne Athletic Club 70th Anniversary Games last week for Emerald AC winning the 800m in 2.06.67.
Behind Amy was two-time European U18 Champion Sarah Healy who has been making waves in recent months. Making the step up to senior level, Sarah capped-off a fabulous season with 11th place in 4:17.37. After grouping herself near the front of the pack, Sarah gradually drifted back to the middle and finished strong to finish off her last race of the season. Sarah is currently ranked as the number one European U18 athlete in both the 1500m and 800m.
Templeogue’s Nadia Power ran a personal best of 4:19.18 finishing 14th while UCD’s Ciara Everard placed 15th in 4:22.85.
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