Ireland’s campaign at the World Indoor Athletics Championships continued on Saturday morning with four athletes in action across the sprints and middle distances.
Roy Progresses After 7.25 Run
US-based athlete Lauren Roy was first into action in the women’s 60 metres, arriving in Toruń as the national leader and an automatic qualifier.
She produced a sharp run to clock 7.25, finishing fourth in her heat, with her time fast enough to earn her a semi final berth at 7.30pm.
Neville Also Narrowly Outside Qualification
Ciara Neville followed in heat five of the same event and found herself in a near-identical position.
The Emerald AC sprinter ran 7.31 to also finish fourth, again just one place shy of automatic qualification.
O’Neill Builds On Senior Irish Debut
Maeve O’Neill returned to the track for the women’s 800 metres semi-final following her progression from the heats on Friday.
She put herself right in the race early on, sitting just off the leaders through the opening 400 metres and showing no hesitation in taking it on.
As the pace lifted, she found herself under pressure in the second half and came home in 2:02.46.
While she didn’t progress, backing up her heat performance with a semi-final appearance rounds off a strong first senior championship showing, with plenty taken from both races.
English Unable To Capitalise In Tactical Semi
Mark English lined up in the first semi-final of the men’s 800 metres, carrying strong expectations after his controlled heat victory.
He positioned himself well throughout and made a move approaching on the final bell of the penultimate lap, taking control of the race as they approached the bell.
As the pace lifted in the closing stages however, he was unable to hold onto a qualifying position, finishing fourth in a time of in 1:46.70.
Morning Session Results
Lauren Roy – Women’s 60m (Heat 1) – 4th – 7.25 – Does Not Advance
Ciara Neville – Women’s 60m (Heat 5) – 4th – 7.31 – Does Not Advance
Maeve O’Neill – Women’s 800m (Semi-Final 1) – 6th – 2:02.46 – Does Not Advance
Mark English – Men’s 800m (Semi-Final 1) – 4th – 1:46.70 – Does Not Advance
Evening Session: Roy's return and 3000m Final Takes Centre Stage
Attention now turns to the evening session, where Irish interest focuses firmly on the men’s 3000 metres final and the women's 60m semi finals.
All eyes will be on Andrew Coscoran and Nick Griggs as they line up in what is expected to be a high-quality field.
Griggs comes in as the Irish indoor 3000 metres champion, continuing his steady rise at senior level to compete at his first world indoors, while Coscoran brings a wealth of experience, having competed at multiple World Championships and Olympic Games.
Lauren Roy also returns to the track for the third semi final of the women's 60m. Should she progress to the final, it will take place at 8.20pm