news-engine

A season’s best over 400 metres was just enough to earn Sophie Becker a place in the semi-finals at the European Championships in Birmingham, the Dublin athlete running a neatly balanced race to nail third place in Wednesday morning’s qualifying heats. After a troubled start to the season with illness and injury, Becker has come back into form at the right time, her 52.28 seconds eclipsing her season best of 52.36, and enough to see her through into Thursday’s semi-finals (12.45pm). Across the three opening round heats, the top 13 fastest times all progressed, with Becker’s heat won by Eveline Saalberg from the Netherlands in 51.65. All six athletes in the last heat ran faster, but Becker ended up ranked 13th from across the three heats, thus getting another run. The 29-year-old was Ireland’s sole representative in the 400m, after the withdrawal through injury of Rachal McCann and then Sharlene Mawdsley. READ MORE Lauren Roy also earned her place in the semi-finals of the 200m later this evening, the Ballymena athlete finishing fourth in her heat in 23.20 seconds. Running in lane nine, Roy started well and held her form down the homestretch, with Boglárka Takács from Hungary taking the win in 22.84 seconds. Run into a slight -0.9m/s headwind, Roy was outside her best of 22.83, but still put herself in a strong qualifying position. The top-12 across the three heats all progressed to the semi-finals, and Roy ended up ranked sixth best, and will now join Rhasidat Adeleke, who got a bye into the semi-finals later this evening (8.20pm), with the Dublin athlete ranked 12th best in Europe.