Sarah Healy Sets 3000m Personal Best at Rabat Diamond League
Sarah Healy kicked off her outdoor season in style by landing third place and clocking a new personal best in the women’s 3000m at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday. After an impressive indoor campaign that saw her crowned European Champion in the same distance, Healy showed she’s still on fire. Starting mid-pack in the seven-and-a-half-lap race, she kept a steady pace as the field quickly stretched out behind frontrunner Beatrice Chebet, who was gunning for a world record.
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Chebet Goes All Out
The race started at a blistering speed, with Chebet blazing through the first two laps in just 66 seconds thanks to pacemakers Winne Nanyondo and Georgia Griffith. Things cooled slightly around the 1600m mark, giving Italy’s Nadia Battocletti a chance to close in. But Healy had her own plan. With three laps to go, she pulled away from her group and steadily gained ground. In a thrilling final push, she chased down Battocletti on the last stretch, finishing just half a second behind the Olympic finalist.
Chebet, though, was unstoppable. She crossed the line in 8:11.56 — not quite a world record, but good enough to become the second-fastest woman ever over that distance and set a new national record.
Healy Eyes Irish Record
Healy’s time of 8:27.02 beat her previous indoor best by three seconds. She’s now edging closer to Sonia O’Sullivan’s long-standing Irish record of 8:21.64, set back in 1989.
Cathal Doyle Impresses in 1500m
Also in Rabat, Cathal Doyle got his outdoor season underway in the men’s 1500m. The Clonliffe runner stayed in the middle of the pack until the final lap. Then, in classic Doyle fashion, he surged forward on the back straight, squeezing into the top six before finishing eighth overall. He clocked 3:33.32 — just 0.15 seconds off his personal best from the Tokyo Olympics.
American Jonah Koech took the win in 3:31.43, smashing his previous best by six seconds in what was easily the biggest victory of his career.
Other Highlights from Rabat
Femke Bol made a strong debut in the women’s 400m hurdles, setting a meet record with 52.46. She dominated the field, with Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight taking second in a season’s best 53.90.
Over in the men’s 800m, Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela grabbed the spotlight, setting a new meeting record of 1:42.69. Max Burgin of Great Britain held off Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi to claim second with 1:43.34 in a thrilling finish.
