Another impressive indoor performance by Nadia Power has seen her knock almost a second and a half off her own Irish 800 metres record with a hard-fought third place finish at the World Indoor Tour in Torún, Poland.
Running on the same track as next month's European Indoor Athletics Championships, Power clocked a truly world class 2:00.98, taking another sizeable chunk off her previous Irish record of 2:02.44, clocked in her first indoor race of the season in Vienna at the end of January.
As expected with a world-class line up, the race was super-fast from the start, pacemaker Aneta Lemiesz taking them through halfway in just over 57 seconds. From there the young Ethiopian Habitam Alemu kicked from the front and took the win in 1:58.19, also a personal best and a meeting record.
Local favourite Joanna Jozwik also ran a season best in taking second, the Polish runner clocking 2:00.42, and then came the 23 year-old Power, the Dublin runner holding her form right to the line in what was a blanket finish for third. Such is the quality of her 2:00.98 it will almost certainly see her qualify for the Tokyo Olympics on the ranking system.
It further continued the excellent run of form for Power, who also took the win over the 800m at the IFAM meeting in Gent in Belgium just last Saturday in 2.02.83, the second fastest time of her career indoors.
Power also clocked 2:03.84 when finishing second to Poland’s Joanna Jozwik in 2:02.97 in Lievin last week. Power will now focus on the European Indoor Athletics Championships which take place in the same venue from March 5-7th.
