JOANNE CUDDIHY MISSED out on fastest loser qualification for the Women’s 400m Final but was pleased with her semi-final effort.
The Kilkenny-based runner crossed the line, 15 metres back from Sanya Richards Ross, in a time of 51.88 seconds.
Speaking to RTE after the race, Cuddihy said she had planned to pace herself better during the race, following a close-run qualification after the heats, and she was pleased with her run.
“I came here with a plan and I exceeded it.” She added:
It was always going to be an outside shot.
Staggered run
Cuddihy added, “I was extremely down after (the heats) yesterday. When you die in the last 30 metres it leaves you down and you, well, die.”
Cuddihy explained that the plan was to stagger her bursts of running speed with the hopes of saving enough gas for a finish burst.
“I was determined to finish stronger,” she said. “and pick off contenders, and push up to the fastest oser spot but it didn’t happen.”
She added, “I left myself too much to do.”
Meanwhile, Rob Heffernan told TheScore.ie that he was delighted with his ninth place finish in the Men’s 20km Walk. He declared:
It’s brilliant. There are not too many people in history who have got a top 10 Olympic finish in Ireland. If I was told I was going to get that before today I would have been thrilled with it.
“You are always hoping that fellas will die off and you can win it but when the boys put the hammer down there was not much I could do about it,” the Corkman added.
