Sport

Brian Gregan best on show as Irish get off to a slow start at World Championships

English, Robinson, Carey and Pena all bow out at first stage

Ireland’s Brian Gregan in action during his heat of the men’s 400m event at the IAAF World Athletics Championships, where he finished in sixth place with a time of 46.04, and qualified for the semi-final. Also pictured are, from left, Hamdinou Cheikh El Wely, Mauritania, Anderson Henriques, Brazil, Arman Hall, USA, and Yousef Ahmed Masrahi, Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/ Sportsfile
Ireland’s Brian Gregan in action during his heat of the men’s 400m event at the IAAF World Athletics Championships, where he finished in sixth place with a time of 46.04, and qualified for the semi-final. Also pictured are, from left, Hamdinou Cheikh El Wely, Mauritania, Anderson Henriques, Brazil, Arman Hall, USA, and Yousef Ahmed Masrahi, Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/ Sportsfile
Mon Aug 12 2013 - 01:02

Brian Gregan squeezing into the semi-finals of the 400 metres may not be much to celebrate – not yet anyway – but it proved the high point of an otherwise difficult start for the Irish athletes in Moscow.

At least it gives Gregan something else to shoot for this afternoon (5.05pm Irish time): the 23-year-old Dubliner will need to run significantly faster than the 46.04 seconds he clocked yesterday morning, finishing sixth in his heat, yet surprisingly good enough to see him through as the second best of four fastest losers (the top four in each of the five heats qualifying automatically).

“After four rough weeks with injury, I’ve made the semi-finals of the World Championships,” said Gregan, and he clearly wasn’t at his best. “Hopefully now I can go out a run a lot quicker in the semi-finals, and see where that leaves me.”

Drawn in lane two, Gregan will have some truly world-class company this afternoon, including Belgium’s Kevin Borlee, the American Tony McQuay, and the Jamaican Javon Francis – with only the top two, plus the two fastest losers from the three semi-finals, going through to the final. Fastest qualifier was America’s LeShawn Merritt with 44.91 with defending world and Olympic champion Kirani James from Grenada running 45:02.

READ MORE

Both Mark English and Paul Robinson were making their senior championship debuts in the 800 metres and while qualifying for their semi-finals was always going to be tough, English was particularly disappointed to have fallen short, despite a storming finish, his 1:47.08 left him in fourth.

“I’m gutted,” said the 20-year-old English. “Maybe I left it a little too late but there are positives to take away too. I finished well, felt super down the home straight and it has been a good experience for me.”


Slighty naive
Robinson also adopted the slightly naive tactics of trying to qualify from behind, and ended sixth in 1:48.61, although he did pass two men down the homestretch. "It's a different ball game at this level," admitted Robinson, still only 22. "It's a good eye opener, I may have gone off a little too conservatively and you can't let them get away from you at this level. I have lots of work to do to mix it with the very best in the world."

Jenn Carey exited in the heats of the women’s 400 metres, although at least she ran closer to her best than anyone else – her 52.62 seconds just shy of her best of 52.29. She moved up to fifth after an thlete ahead of her was disqualified.

There was no joy whatsoever for Maria McCambridge in the women’s marathon, although she wasn’t alone. Run in the middle of the afternoon, it was a searing 29 degrees with a vicious sun and humidity, and 23 women dropped out, including McCambridge. Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat defended her title.

Tori Pena also bowed out of the qualifying round of the pole vault, failing to clear the opeining height of 4.45 metres.