There were just two Irish athletes competing in the big XL Galan meet in Stockholm on Thursday night and both came away with new personal bests and a European Indoor Championships standard.
Claire Tarplee (Dundrum South Dublin AC), who was so close to the standard in her last couple of races, finished sixth in a the 1,500m in a time of 4:13.16, a new personal best for her and also inside the European standard of 4:14.00. Her previous best was 4:14.53 set in Vienna at the end of January. At the British championships the weekend before last she won the 800m in 2:03.66, just outside the 2:03.00 European standard.
After setting a new personal best over 1,500. at the Woodie’s DIY Senior Indoor Championships of Ireland, Fionnuala Britton (Kilcoole AC) was back in action, this time in the 3,000m, finishing fifth in a time of 8:54.37, just inside her previous best of 8:55.22 achieved at the start of February.
XL Galan Stockholm, SWE
Women 1500 m
1 Abeba Aregawi SWE, Hammarby IF 3:58.40
2 Axumawit Embaye ETH 4:09.11
3 Rabab Arrafi MAR 4:09.36
4 Treniere Moser USA 4:12.09
5 Mimi Belete BRN 4:12.16
6 Clarie Tarplee IRL 4:13.16
7 Katarzyna Broniatowska POL 4:14.15
8 Charlotte Schönbeck SWE, IFK Lidingö 4:16.12
9 Kristine Eikrem Engeset NOR 4:17.99
10 Alem Gebremariam ETH 4:19.46
Women 3000 m
1 Genzebe Dibaba ETH 8:26.57 MR PB WL
2 Eilish McColgan GBR 8:49.31
3 Almaz Ayana ETH 8:50.10
4 Siham Hilali MAR 8:53.12
5 Fionnuala Britton IRL 8:54.37
6 Polina Jelizarova LAT 8:56.06
7 Gete Dima (pace) ETH 9:00.88
