22-year-old Sarah Healy has obliterated a long-standing Irish indoor athletics record in France this afternoon.
The young Dubliner clocked a time of 8.36.06 over 3000m to knock nearly eight seconds off the previous Irish best which had been held by Sligo's Mary Cullen since February 2009.
Healy was competing at the Meeting Metz Moselle which is part of the World Indoor Tour Silver series of meets.
The U.C.D. Athletics Club athlete placed second in the race which was won by Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia in a world leading time for this year of 8.28.46.
Sonia O'Sullivan is the only other Irish woman to have gone faster than Healy in the event, however that was outdoors in London in July 1994 when the Cobh athlete ran 8.21.64.
🚨NATIONAL RECORD ALERT🚨
Sarah Healy has just smashed the Irish 3,000m indoor record with a 8:36.06 at the Metz Moselle Athlélor World Indoor Tour Meet🤩
The time betters Mary Cullen's 2009 NR by SEVEN SECONDS🤯
Full result: https://t.co/NeVuAcrFIu
*Subject to ratification pic.twitter.com/lbibObp2tx— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) February 3, 2024
Healy is now based in the UK where she is training alongside 800m World and Olympic medallist Keely Hodgkinson in Trevor Painter's renowned group.
The performance today secures automatic qualification for next month's World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Healy already has the standard in the 1500m.
Sarah Healy continues her rich vein of form
Her first race in 2024 certainly bodes well for the massive year ahead.
Last year she became just the third Irish woman in history to break four minutes for the 1500m when she ran 3.59.68 in the World Championship semi-final in Budapest, a national U23 record.
She also took silver over the metric mile at the European U23 Championships behind compatriot Sophie O'Sullivan, the youngest daughter of Sonia.
Also in action in Metz were Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs.
McElhinney moved to second on the Irish Indoor All-Time List as he finished third in the race in 7.39.92.
Griggs finished sixth in 7.45.57, improving McElhinney's Irish Indoor U23 record by less than half a second.
The 19-year-old from Tyrone sits seventh on the Irish Indoor All-Time list in the event.
🔥 🔥 Massive runs from @darraghmce & @nickgriggs4321 both PBs and Nick Griggs setting a NEW Irish U23 Record 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EmJstEn7xK
— East Down Youtube (@EDAC_Youtube) February 3, 2024
Rhasidat Adeleke races her first 400m of the season in the early hours of tomorrow morning in the United States.
Andrew Coscoran and Brian Fay will also have their eyes set on breaking the Irish Indoor 3000m record when they compete at the New Balance Grand Prix as part of the World Indoor Tour Gold.
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