McGettigan sets Irish record in Belgium

ATHLETICS:A record-breaking summer for Irish athletics continued at the weekend when Róisín McGettigan improved her national 3,000-metre steeplechase mark by four seconds at the Heusden Grand Prix meeting in Belgium on Saturday night.

The 26 year-old finished third in a high-quality field, her time of nine minutes 28.29 seconds well inside the record of 9:32.04 she set at the same meeting last year - and the second fastest by a European this summer.

It was the seventh Irish record this season, following those from Paul Hession in the sprints (two at 100 metres and one at 200 metres), David Gillick at 400 metres, Alistair Cragg at 10,000 metres and last weekend's record series of throws by Eileen O'Keeffe in the hammer.

It also marked the steady progress McGettigan has made in the couple of years since she clocked 9:46.12 in 2005, the year she finished ninth in the Grand Prix final.

There was also a lifetime best by the other Irishwoman in Saturday's race; Fionnuala Britton improved by more than six seconds when posting 10th in 9:41.36.

Victory on the night went to Hanane Ouhaddou of Morocco in 9:25.51. Rosa Morato of Spain was second in 9:26.23.

The times for both Irish runners were well inside the A standards for the World Championships in Osaka next month and the Olympics next year, and both were earlier this week named in the Irish team for Japan.

Two other members of the Irish World Championships team were in action in Heusden.

Gillick finished a close third over 400 metres. He clocked 45.73, his third-fastest of the season, in a race won by the American Andrew Rock in 45.39.

Gordon Kennedy ran a personal-best 46.48 in the same race.

Derval O'Rourke clocked her fastest time of the season when finishing fourth in 100-metre hurdles in 12.95, fractionally inside the 12.98 she ran in Switzerland a few weeks ago though still some way short of her 12.72 national record. Victory went to Lolo Jones of the US in 12.74.

Thomas Chamney was looking for the A standard over 800 metres but was well outside it when finishing 12th in 1:47.20.

The race was won by Alan Webb of the US in 1:43.84.

Liam Reale ran his fastest 1,500 metres of the year, 3:40.96, when finishing eighth in the B race.

Dierdre Ryan finished sixth in the high jump with 1.85 metres.

Orla Drumm clocked a personal best, 4:16.33, over 1,500 metres, and Martin Fagan posted 13:44.11 when finishing 10th in the 5,000-metre B race.

Elsewhere, James Nolan ran disappointingly over 1,500 metres in Zaragoza, Spain, finishing 10th in 3:49.60, but Paul McKee ran up to form in the 400 metres, finishing third in 46.67.

The highlight of the Zaragoza meeting came from Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, winner of the 5,000 metres in 12:49.53, the first sub-13 clocking this year.

Kenya's Edwin Kipkorir was second in 13:27.63.