It was all about the next generation for Ireland in today’s early action at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow – but all three made their exit.
Joseph Ojewumi, Molly Scott and Lauren Roy put in solid performances in the 60m heats, but couldn’t get into the qualifying positions, while Ciara Neville withdrew through illness.
Ojewumi came sixth in his heat of the men’s 60m in 6.97 seconds as Turkey’s Emre Zafer Barnes – known as Winston Barnes when originally competing for his native Jamaica – took the win in 6.69.
The 20-year-old booked his passage to Glasgow via last month’s IUAA Universities Indoor Championships in Athlone with an Irish lead of 6.77 seconds, going on to claim the senior Irish title at Abbotstown the following weekend, and has recently gone vegan in a bid to boost his career.
Scott, fresh from being crowned Carlow Sportsperson of the Year for her 4x100m World U20 silver-medal winning exploits in Tampere last summer, also came home sixth in her first-round heat over the same distance.
Her time of 7.43 seconds - in a heat won by world outdoor 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands in 7.24 – saw Scott come perilously close to reaching tonight’s semi-finals, missing out on a fastest-losers spot by 0.03 of a second, five spots away from qualifying.
A repeat of her Irish lead time of 7.32 in winning at the National Indoors would have seen her progress.
Lauren Roy, second in the Irish list this year with 7.39, finished seventh in her heat, registering a 7.62 in a heat won by Carolle Zahi of France in 7.29 that also featured new national records for Israel and Denmark.
Poland’s Ewa Swodoba was fastest overall in 7.14 as the European U23 champion’s reputation continues to grow.
Ciara Neville withdrew shortly before her race due to illness.
Mark English competes in the men’s 800m semi0finals this evening, having impressively won his first-round heat last night.
