CATHERINA McKIERNAN moved into new territory with a personal best over 5,000 metres in the Adriaan Paulen Memorial meeting in Hengelo, Holland yesterday. The Cornafean runner clocked 14 minutes 58.65 seconds to improve her best mark over the distance by a little under a second at her first track race in Europe this summer.
However she had to settle for third behind two Ethiopians, Derartu Tulu, the reigning Olympic 10,000 metre champion, and Gete Wami, the reigning World Cross Country champion.
Tulu won in 14:55.71, the second fastest time in the world this year, after making the decisive move 50 metres before the bell with the trio well clear of the rest of the field.
McKiernan had nothing with which she could respond, but stuck gamely to her task, produced a 70 second last lap, and was suitably rewarded.
The race had been built up as a world record attempt, but swirling winds and rain made conditions difficult for the runners. Erratic pacemaking did not help either.
"It wasn't the best of weather and it's still early in the season so I'm pretty, pleased with my performance, McKiernan said. She can now finally put the injury traumas of last season behind her and look ahead to Atlanta with optimism.
