Irish athletes perform well in Berlin

The Leevale athlete was “gutted not to have won a medal” afterwards, but three short hours ago a final appearance was the prize when she squeezed in as one of the two fastest losers from the semis.

“It’s a new national record, fourth in the world. I can’t really complain.

David Gillick made his own bit of history earlier today when he ran big race to go where no Irishman has before, producing a time of 44.88 to ensure he’ll be on track for Friday’s 400m final.

It wasn’t quite a personal best for the Ballinteer athlete, whose Irish record stands at 44.77, but it was good enough for fourth in the first of three semi-finals and ended up as the sixth fastest time of the eight eventual finalists.

Two-time defending champion Jeremy Wariner set the pace, leading Britain’s Michael Bingham, France’s Leslie Djhone and Gillick home in a time of 44.70.

Paul Hession took to the track after both his compatriots reached their finals and gamely tried to repeat the trick in the 200m semi-final but his time of 20.48 was only good enough for sixth.

Hession ran in the second semi after Usain Bolt blitzed the field in the first. The Athenry man was in lane eight and had America’s Wallace Spearmon and Jamaican Steve Mullings to contend with.

Mullings was a little eager to get away and false started to put the pressure on the whole field. He was predictably slower out of the blocks at the second time of asking and Spearmon cruised into control.

Hession battled hard on the outside and ran 20.40, improving on his heats time by 0.08, but he was always straining to stay in touch as Spearmon led Mullings and fellow American Charles Clark home.

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