Athletics: Irish record for Rob Heffernan and Beijing qualifying time for Jamie Costin

Irish Record For Robert Heffernan - Beijing & Worlds Qualification For Jamie Costin

Story from www.athleticsireland.ie

Ireland’s walkers were in savage form at the European Cup Race Walking at Royal Lemington Spa yesterday. Both Robert Heffernan and Jamie Costin (pictured above) set new PB’s in their events, with the former’s time bettering his own national record, and Costin’s time qualifying him for the World championships and the Beijing Olympics.

Both athletes have suffered major injury problems over the past couple of years but have battled back in tremendous style to reach the heights achieved yesterday.

Robert Heffernan had one of his best races ever to finish fifth in the 20k event. The winner was Yohan Diniz from France in 1:18:58, with Heffernan clocking 1:20:15, just six seconds off third placed Russian Igor Yerokhin.

1 Yohan Diniz FRA 19:53 39:35 59:11 1:18:58 (5k Splits)
2 Ivano Brugnetti ITA 0:19:57 0:39:35 0:59:14 1:19:36
3 Igor Yerokhin RUS 0:20:07 0:40:00 1:00:03 1:20:09
4 Ivan Trotski BLR 0:19:58 0:40:05 1:00:04 1:20:13
5 Robert Heffernan IRL 0:19:57 0:39:49 1:00:00 1:20:15

28 429 Colin Griffin IRL 0:20:49 0:41:43 1:03:07 1:25:14
46 428 Jeffrey Cassin IRL 0:22:13 0:44:22 1:06:42 1:29:06

9 IRL (5, 28, 46) 79pts

Few will forget the horrific car crash that ended Jamie Costin’s Greece Olympics, with the dreadful thought that he would never walk again too hard to believe. Not only has he overcome those life threatening injuries but he has now battled all the way back to the high very highest level.

15 Jamie Costin IRL 0:24:14 0:48:09 1:11:27 1:34:47 1:58:01 2:21:05 2:44:17 3:07:22 3:30:11 3:53:30 (k Splits)
MENS 50Km

25 326 Olive Loughnane IRL 0:23:15 0:46:33 1:10:28 1:34:28
WOMENS 20Km