Athletics

New Irish indoor records for Andrew Coscoran, Sarah Healy and Kate O’Connor

Coscoran nails the biggest victory of his career at grand prix in Boston

Sarah Healy of UCD AC, Dublin, left, on her way to winning the women's 800m. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Sarah Healy of UCD AC, Dublin, left, on her way to winning the women's 800m. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Ian O'Riordan
Mon Feb 03 2025 - 14:20

The first proper action of the new indoor season and with that Andrew Coscoran and Sarah Healy have both rewritten the Irish 3,000 metres records, Coscoran nailing the biggest victory of his career to boot.

Competing at the sold-out New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Sunday night, Coscoran toppled the world-class field with a bold move to the front with two laps remaining, rewarded with a winning time of 7:30.75, the fourth fastest by a European, and improving his previous best by 10 seconds.

It was a superbly confident run by the Dublin athlete, taking eight seconds off the previous Irish record which has stood to Alistair Cragg since 2004, and only Mark Carroll’s outdoor record of 7:30.36 is faster on the Irish all-time list.

The 28-year-old Coscoran, who recently joined the New Balance Manchester group coached by Helen Clitheroe, timed his run to perfection, running a blazing 26.71 seconds for his last lap, after overtaking long-time leader Azzedine Habz from France, who also ran a national indoor record of 7:31.50 in second; 18-year-old Cameron Myers following his world under-20 indoor mile record in New York last month with an Australian indoor record of 7:33.12 in third.

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“I’ve had a good couple of coaches over the last couple years who have been unbelievable as well,” Coscoran said, acknowledging the input of his previous coach Feidhlim Kelly at the Dublin Track Club. “This is a couple years’ worth of work on the track.”

In a similarly competitive women’s 3,000m, Healy finished in fourth place in 8:35.19, improving her own Irish indoor record of 8:36.06 set last year. The 23-year-old from Dublin has also benefited from a move to the UK in recent seasons, where she trains under Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows.

The victory there went to Melissa Courtney-Bryant from Wales, who ran a lifetime best to 8:28.69, the European indoor bronze medallist improving her previous best by more than nine seconds. Elise Cranny from the US was second 8:29.87.

Mark English was also in action over 800m in Boston on Sunday night, the Donegal man finishing fifth in 1:46.82, and all three athletes are clearly building nicely towards the European Indoor Championships in the Dutch town of Apeldoorn next month.

Kate O’Connor was also in Irish record-breaking form over the weekend, at the Tallinn Combined Events meeting in Estonia, setting personal bests in all five disciplines to smash her own Irish indoor pentathlon record.

The 24-year-old O’Connor recorded a tally of 4683 points, finishing to second behind Finland’s Saga Vanninen (4843), and notably higher than the 4396 points she recorded in France two years ago.

O’Connor’s effort included a throw of 14.42m in the shot put, plus an indoor best of 2:13.60 over 800m.

At the Scottish Athletics Indoor Invitational in Glasgow, Sharlene Mawdsley also got her season off to a winning start, clocking an indoor personal best of 51.69 to take victory in the 400m and secure an automatic qualifying standard for Apeldoorn – running .22 faster that her previous indoor best. Dublin-based Bori Akinola clocked 6.74 in the final of the 60m to claim second.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics