Henry McLuckie broke a stadium record belonging to 1980 Olympic 800m champion Steve Ovett in the 3000m at The Belfast Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting on Saturday (9) afternoon.
The 2021 European U20 1500m bronze medallist cut loose in the last 600 metres for a commanding victory in 7:43.64, erasing Ovett’s previous stadium record of 7:44.83 which had stood on the record books since 1987.
McLuckie won by just a fraction under four seconds from Ireland’s Callum Morgan. The 22-year-old, who was part of Ireland’s gold medal-winning team in the U23 race at the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, finished second in a lifetime best of 7:47.62.
European indoor 3000m silver medallist Melissa Courtney-Bryant also set a stadium record in the 1500m. Courtney-Bryant broke away with the pacemaker in the early stages, taking a solo victory in 4:04.50 ahead of fellow Brits Aya Lloyd (4:07.04) and Molly Hudson (4:07.27).
Lifetime bests for Henrich and Azu
Fresh from competing at the World Relays in Gaborone last weekend, 19-year-old Charlotte Henrich came away with a victory as well as a lifetime best in the 400m.
The reigning European U20 champion showed her strength in the home straight as she pulled away from Ireland’s Sophie Becker, winning by more than one second in 51.24 to Becker’s 52.36.
On a blustery afternoon in the Northern Irish capital, Henrich sliced almost half-a-second from her previous lifetime best of 51.68 which she set in winning the 400m title at the European Athletics U20 Championships last year.
Also fresh from competing at the World Relays, European indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu stepped up in distance to the 200m, taking the victory in a lifetime best of 20.73 ahead of his younger brother Alex in 21.12.
Pattison defeats the 1500m specialists
2023 world 800m bronze medallist Ben Pattison won the men's 1500m with a devastating turn of pace, his first race at the distance in three years.
Pattison kicked to the front with just over 200 metres remaining, opening up a winning margin of more than one-and-a-half seconds with victory in a lifetime best of 3:37.96 ahead of fellow Brits Archie Davis (3:39.57) and Ted Higgins (3:39.73).
World 5000m silver medallist Isaac Kimeli from Belgium, who was announced for this meeting, did not compete.
Elsewhere, 18-year-old double European U20 medallist Carmen Cernjul from Sweden won the women’s 3000m in 8:56.98 ahead of Belgians Lisa Rooms (8:58.99) and 2021 European indoor 1500m champion Elise Vanderelst (8:59.94).
Sarah Calvert and Henry Jonas closed the programme with victories in the women’s and men’s 800m in 2:01.90 and 1:45.76 respectively.
Photos from James Rhodes