Griggs runs 1500m PB to better European tests mark
Tyrone runner Nick Griggs ran a new 1500 metres personal best in Poland and achieved the European Championships standard in the process.
Griggs clocked 3:35.90 which was 0.10 seconds inside the qualifying mark for next month's championships in Rome.
The 19-year-old's time also cut 0.19 seconds off his previous best set last year.
Griggs finished fifth in the race which was part of the Memoriał Janusza Kusocinskiego meeting in Chorzow.
Home runner Filip Rak took victory in a Polish under-23 record of 3:33.74 with Italy's Pietro Arese (3:34.66), Spain's Ignacio Fontes (3:34.81) and another Pole Maciej Wyderka (3:35.51) also finishing ahead of the Northern Irishman.
Griggs is also in contention for an Olympic Games spot via the world rankings.
He went into this weekend in a qualifying position of 43rd, with 45 athletes set to compete in the 1500m in Paris, but with six weeks still to go in the Olympic qualification process.
However Saturday's performance should improve Griggs' ranking position somewhat.
Mawdsley achieves Olympic 400m mark
A successful day for Irish athletes also saw Sharlene Mawdsley achieve the Olympic women's 400m qualifying time at the same meeting in Poland.
The Tipperary runner clocked 50.72 seconds which was well inside the Paris standard of 50.95 in addition to cutting 0.37 seconds off her previous personal best set last September.
Mawdsley joins Rhasidat Adeleke in achieving qualification for the women's individual 400m in Paris.
Both athletes are also set to compete in the women's 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay events in London.
The strength of Irish 400m running was further emphasised by Dubliner Sophie Becker setting a huge personal best of 51.13 at last weekend's Belfast Irish Milers Meet at the Mary Peters Track.
There was additional success at Saturday's Night of the 10,000m meeting in London as Clonliffe Harriers' Efrem Gidey moved to second on the Irish all-time list by clocking 27:40.02 which was 0.47 seconds off Alistair Cragg's national record set in 2007.
Gidey finished ninth in the race won by Djibouti's Mohamed Ismael in a new national record of 27:22.38.
Those ahead of Gidey in the high-class field including the USA's double Olympic Games 5,000m medallist, Paul Chelimo, who finished fourth in 27:34.04.
