IRELAND’S CIAN MCPHILLIPS says he will come to appreciate what he has achieved at the World Athletics Championships after breaking the national record again with a brilliant performance in the men’s 800m final.
The Longford runner just came up short of a place on the podium after a terrific finish from the back of the pack on the home straight. He took fourth in 1:42.15 to improve on the 1:43.18 record he set in the semi-final, which he won.
Today’s result caps off a brilliant World Championships debut for McPhillips, who also won his heat.
"When I calm down I'll probably appreciate what I've done here more" - It's been a breakthrough Worlds for 23-year-old Cian McPhillips. He spoke to @DavidGillick after his fourth-placed finish in the men's 800m final #RTEsportpic.twitter.com/b4AwdJjFpI
“It was a tough lane draw, I had to sit at the back for a while,” he told RTÉ Sport after the final which he started in lane two.
“But another second off the PB, it’s frustrating at the moment but when I calm down, I’ll probably appreciate it a good bit more.
“Coming here in my first World Championships, won the heat and the semi, fourth overall. The legs were probably a bit tired after the semis but a national record, a massive PB, [it] opens a lot of doors next year. I can’t be too greedy.
“That’s the kind of race I’ve been waiting to get into for a while. I still feel like there could be a little bit more there but season’s done. I had to bide my time there at the end. I ran out of real estate but delighted with that.
“A lot of people have put a lot of work into me the last few years so it’s starting to pay off. Not there yet but huge progress.”
The three runners who came in ahead of McPhillips – Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Djamel Sedjati and Marco Arop — were the Olympic medallists in this event last year. McPhillips says he can take comfort from the fact that he proved he could compete with them on the world stage.
“That was basically, not far off an Olympic final there,” he added. “A lot of them are on the all-time list as well and the top 10. Mixing in with those guys is a big push on. It makes me pretty optimistic for next year.
“I came in here physically strong. I was quite happy with how mentally strong I was, just getting through the rounds, pacing it well. It would have been nice to get a medal but we’ll leave that for next time.”
McPhillips suffered a stress fracture earlier this season, which feels has benefitted him in hindsight.
“Looking back, it was probably a blessing that I got injured. It forced me to understand my training a lot more. When you’re told you’re out for that long, you really have to go back to first principles and start for scratch. The training is not fun, it’s bloody hard. I surrounded myself with people who are able to articulate why I was doing this.
“They made the right decisions at the right time and thankfully I came here in the best shape of my life.”
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'It would have been nice to get a medal. We'll leave that for next time' - McPhillips
IRELAND’S CIAN MCPHILLIPS says he will come to appreciate what he has achieved at the World Athletics Championships after breaking the national record again with a brilliant performance in the men’s 800m final.
The Longford runner just came up short of a place on the podium after a terrific finish from the back of the pack on the home straight. He took fourth in 1:42.15 to improve on the 1:43.18 record he set in the semi-final, which he won.
Today’s result caps off a brilliant World Championships debut for McPhillips, who also won his heat.
“It was a tough lane draw, I had to sit at the back for a while,” he told RTÉ Sport after the final which he started in lane two.
“But another second off the PB, it’s frustrating at the moment but when I calm down, I’ll probably appreciate it a good bit more.
“Coming here in my first World Championships, won the heat and the semi, fourth overall. The legs were probably a bit tired after the semis but a national record, a massive PB, [it] opens a lot of doors next year. I can’t be too greedy.
“That’s the kind of race I’ve been waiting to get into for a while. I still feel like there could be a little bit more there but season’s done. I had to bide my time there at the end. I ran out of real estate but delighted with that.
“A lot of people have put a lot of work into me the last few years so it’s starting to pay off. Not there yet but huge progress.”
The three runners who came in ahead of McPhillips – Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Djamel Sedjati and Marco Arop — were the Olympic medallists in this event last year. McPhillips says he can take comfort from the fact that he proved he could compete with them on the world stage.
“That was basically, not far off an Olympic final there,” he added. “A lot of them are on the all-time list as well and the top 10. Mixing in with those guys is a big push on. It makes me pretty optimistic for next year.
“I came in here physically strong. I was quite happy with how mentally strong I was, just getting through the rounds, pacing it well. It would have been nice to get a medal but we’ll leave that for next time.”
McPhillips suffered a stress fracture earlier this season, which feels has benefitted him in hindsight.
“Looking back, it was probably a blessing that I got injured. It forced me to understand my training a lot more. When you’re told you’re out for that long, you really have to go back to first principles and start for scratch. The training is not fun, it’s bloody hard. I surrounded myself with people who are able to articulate why I was doing this.
“They made the right decisions at the right time and thankfully I came here in the best shape of my life.”
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Athletics Cian McPhillips Longford AC Taking Stock World Athletics Championships