After the year he had in 2022, Israel Olatunde had an awful lot to live up to this indoor season, and for much of the past month it looked like he was falling short.
ut in the space of 6.57 scintillating seconds, the 20-year-old dispelled any doubts, obliterating the Irish 60m record at the National Indoor Championships in Abbotstown today.
After a rocket start, powerful pick-up and a flying finish, Olatunde had daylight between him and his rivals, his arms spread wide, eyes to the sky, after he hit the line, and that elation came before he knew his time.
When he saw that he’d taken 0.04 – a whopping chunk in 60-metre terms – off Paul Hession’s Irish record of 6.61, he sprinted almost as fast back down the home straight in the opposite direction, before looping back to celebrate with the crowd, at which point a cramp in his calf sent him crashing to the track.
“Everything is good,” he clarified later. “I got a bit excited.”
Good thing, too, with the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul now just 11 days away, where Olatunde looks capable of emulating his achievement at last year’s Europeans in Munich by reaching the final.
“It’s been a bit of a rocky season but me and my coach just stayed focused, we knew the times would come,” he said. “Championships are the times to give your best performances and I’m happy to do it here, in front of this crowd.”
As it was in Munich, his best run came when Olatunde simply “forgot about times” and “focused on just performing.”
He had come into the race with a season’s best of just 6.67, well down on his personal best of 6.62, but few in Irish athletics can rise to an occasion quite like Olatunde.
And few are as aware of the history of the sport, and the significance of surpassing Hession in the record books.
“It means the world,” he said. “Paul Hession is a class act. He’s amazing and to push up the times even more means a lot to me.”
Meanwhile, Mark English did what he always does at nationals: winning with minimum fuss and maximum ease.
The 29-year-old took his ninth Irish indoor 800m title by coasting to the front with 200m to run, reeling off a 25-second final lap, which included a few glances behind, to come home in splendid isolation, clocking 1:52.47.
Having been there, and done that, four times already at European level, he remains Ireland’s best medal chance in Istanbul, with Ciara Mageean bypassing the rest of the indoor season as she recovers her fitness after a recent injury.
Jack Raftery underlined his class with a superb display to win the men’s 400m, the 21-year-old Dubliner breaking David Gillick’s championship record when clocking 46.37, a long, long way clear of runner-up Ciaran Carthy (47.49).
Raftery’s time was just 0.02 off the automatic qualifying time for the European Indoors but he has a chance of competing there based on his world ranking.
“Hopefully that’ll get me to Istanbul and if not, I’ll go back, do a big training block, and come out in May and run even faster,” he said.
Sophie Becker was an impressive winner of the women’s 400m, defeating long-time rival Phil Healy in decisive fashion. Becker stormed through the opening lap and hit the line in 53.11, with Healy second in 53.97.
“It felt a lot faster than the time was, I would have liked a bit faster but I’m happy to get out in one piece,” said Becker.
Sarah Leahy of Killarney Valley edged the women’s 60m in 7.30, with Joan Healy just behind in 7.33. Clonliffe’s Eoin Pierce rolled back the years to reclaim the men’s 1500m title, his second, in 3:54.28, while Carla Sweeney was a runaway winner of the women’s race, clocking 4:22.23.
Raheny’s Iseult O’Donnell edged a thrilling battle with Nadia Power to take the women’s 800m, O’Donnell surrendering the lead on the penultimate lap only to edge past Power up the home straight, clocking 2:07.06.
Cheryl Nolan was a stunned winner of the women’s 3000m, battling past training partner Michelle Finn to edge the photo finish and take her first national senior title.
“I’m never usually that close to her in training so to even be close, I was in shock, but I just never gave up,” she said. “That’s magical, unbelievable.”
Rising star Elizabeth Ndudi caused an upset in the women’s long jump, edging favourite Ruby Millet on countback, with both jumping a best of 6.28m. Philippa Rogan claimed the high jump with a best of 1.79m, with Matthew Callinan Keenan taking the men’s pole vault with 4.80m and Jai Benson the men’s triple jump with 14.79m.
Michaela Walsh of Swinford racked up another title in the women’s shot put, throwing 15.60m.
On Saturday, Raheny’s Mark Smyth produced the standout performance, the 24-year-old blasting to victory in the men’s 200m in 20.77, just shy of Paul Brizzel’s Irish record of 20.75.
Darragh McElhinney unleashed a blazing final lap of 25 seconds to beat teenage star Nick Griggs in the men’s 3000m, clocking 7:49.18.
Sarah Lavin continued her dominance with a facile victory in the women’s 60m hurdles, the Emerald AC athlete clocking 8.03.
In the men’s shot put, Eric Favors edged rival John Kelly with a best of 19.26m.