THE IRISH WOMEN’S 4x400m Relay Team clocked a Season’s Best time of 3:30.55 in their Friday heat but did not make the Saturday evening final as a fastest loser.
The Irish team crossed the line in sixth place after Heat 2, finishing eight seconds behind a United States team that set the fastest time of all 16 countries vying for the final.
Ireland’s time was 13th best out of the 16 teams competing for a place in the final.
Marian Heffernan got off to a slow start and was a distant last before putting in a strong final 100m to close the gap and give hope to Joanne Cuddihy at the baton change.
Cuddihy, who advanced to the semi-finals of the Women’s 400m earlier in the games, put in a storming leg as she shot past her counterparts from Turkey, Brazil and Poland, advancing Ireland to fifth before changing over to Jessie Barr.
Rapid pace
Barr, from Waterford, did her best to maintain Ireland’s position in fifth but she could not reel in the group ahead of her, Czech Republic and Great Britain, who were trying to keep up with the Russian and US athletes.
Barr handed over the baton to Michelle Carey with the Polish team hot on Irish heels.
The 31-year-old Dubliner ceded a place to Poland but maintained a solid pace throughout her leg to help her team to a season’s best.
Joanne Cuddihy and Jessie Barr discuss tactics in the background as the Brazilian team recover from their 4x400m heat. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Irish national record is 3:27.48. Even if Ireland had matched that time it would still have been a second behind a qualifying time, for the final, as a fastest loser.
TheScore.ie’s Ailis McSweeney, the Irish Women’s 100m record-holder, was a guest panellist on RTÉ and spoke after the race. She said:
We are aiming for a national record … They would have been aiming higher than that (time).
The USA clocked the quickest qualifying time (3:22.09), with Russia (3:23.11) in second and Great Britain (3:25.05) third.
They ran well, tough opposition, fair play girls
And very hot to boot.