Coscoran breaks longest standing Irish record
Fifteen years before Andrew Coscoran was born Ray Flynn set the Irish 1500m record of 3:33.5 in the Dream Mile in Oslo. However, this afternoon Meath athlete Corcoran claimed that record for himself with a 3:33.49 run at the World Indoor Tour final in Birmingham.
The 26 year-old Star of the Sea athlete finished third in the World Indoor Tour final as he produced his best ever indoor performance to break Flynn's long-standing mark by just .01 second.
Flynn’s 1500m was the longest standing in the Irish record books, and was run en route to his national record of 3:49.77 in the Dream Mile in Oslo in 1982. Few came close to it in the years since, but in recent times it appeared to be coming under threat due to the emergence of Coscoran and fellow Irishman Luke McCann.
In a race set up to break the British indoor 1500m record, that was exactly what transpired in Birmingham as Neil Gourley clocked 3:32.48, with Spain’s Adel Mechaal running 3:33.28 to finish second.
Coscoran was just behind, his time obliterating the Irish indoor 1500m record of 3:35.4, set by Marcus O’Sullivan in 1988, and also counting as the outright Irish 1500m record.
Not far behind Coscoran was McCann, whose 3:34.76 was also under the old Irish indoor record and moved him fifth on the Irish all-time list.
It was a perfectly judged race from Coscoran who sat in the slipstream of the leading trio of athletes before unleashing a record-breaking final kick from the 150-metre mark to become the fastest ever Irish athlete over 1500m.
The race marks a massive breakthrough for Coscoran, who has trained for the past several years with the Dublin Track Club under the guidance of coach Feidhlim Kelly.
An Olympic semi-finalist in 2021, Coscoran will be in action at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul next weekend, alongside McCann.
Flynn was quick to congratulate the new 1500m record holder, he said: “Huge congratulations to Andrew on his marvellous race today and on becoming the fastest ever Irishman over 1500m!”