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Greta Streimikyte battles to fifth place in searing Dubai heat

24-year-old refuses to blame conditions as she misses out on medal in T13 1500m final

Greta Streimikyte finished fifth in the women’s T13 1500m final. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty

Thu Nov 14 2019 - 09:14

Ireland's Greta Streimikyte has finished fifth in the T13 1500m final at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.

24-year-old Streimikyte clocked a time of 4.48.75 in gruelling conditions, with the race taking place at 11am local time.

She was unable to reel in eventual winner Fatima El Idrissi, with the Moroccan taking an aggressive lead in the second lap which the rest of the field failed to make up.

Afterwards Stremikyte, who moved to Dublin from Lithuania aged 15, refused to blame her fifth-place finish on the conditions.

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She said: “ When you are out there you don’t really think about it and I did train a lot during the same period, I tried to adapt as best as I can during the time that I was here.

“ I can’t blame the heat because, at the end of the day, we were all in the same boat.”

Friday will mark the final day of the competition, which will see a return for Ireland’s Michael McKillop in the T38 1500m final.

The defending world champion has been out of action since he won this same event back at the World Championships in London in 2017, where he suffered an injury which has kept him out subsequently.

World Para Athletics Championships, Dubai Day eight Schedule

Greta Streimikyte, Women’s 1500m T13 Final, 11.05am (7.05am Irish Time)

World Para Athletics Championships, Dubai Day nine Schedule

Mary Fitzgerald, Women's F40 Shot Put, 7.28pm (4.28pm Irish Time)

Michael McKillop & David Leavy, Men's 1500m T38 Final 7.31pm (3.41pm Irish Time)

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