On a record-breaking day for Irish athletics, Sophie O’Sullivan’s barnstorming 1500m run was one of the main eye-catchers.
Running for Washington track and field team, O’Sullivan smashed her own PB with a time of 4.08.06 which books her place in the NCAA finals in Austin on the weekend June 7-10.
O’Sullivan, a daughter of Irish track and field legend Sonia, showed plenty of guts when storming up the home straight to take the win in a time that breaks her college’s all-time record.
Having won silver at the European U18 Championships at 800m back in 2019, the 21-year-old has re-captured that flying form this year, and will now target a place on the Irish team ahead of the World Championships in Budapest later this year.
4⃣:0⃣8⃣.0⃣6⃣ 🤯🤯🤯
SOPHIE, WHAT??!?!
Sophie O'Sullivan just destroyed the 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 with an NCAA-leading time that puts her #⃣1⃣1⃣ in »NCAA HISTORY«
Oh and she's headed to Austin! 😤#GoHuskies x #NCAATF | 💻 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/iDg0k4tbm5
— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) May 28, 2023
Meanwhile, in other unsurpising news, Rhasidat Adeleke continues to break records.
The Tallaght AC athlete has been a collision course with the record books this year, throughout the indoor season and now well into the outdoors, and she ran her fastest ever lap of the track on Saturday.
Astonishingly, it was her sixth time to break an Irish record this season.
Adeleke, 20, shaved 0.34 off her previous mark to run 49.54, the second fastest time in colleigiate history and the fourth fastest time in the world this year. Her strong finish up the run-in was noteworthy, and certainly bodes well for the future.
.@rhasidatadeleke with another national record over 400m – 49.54!!
Brilliant one lap running 🙌🙌— David Gillick (@DavidGillick) May 28, 2023
Elsewhere, Tyrone running sensation Nick Griggs ran a tremendous 5000m run to break the Irish U20 record in Oordegem in Belgium. Griggs ran 13.36 to not just beat, but to smash Darragh McElhinney’s previous mark of 13.54.
