Liam Reale 8th in 1,500m Final
Joanne Cuddihy Runs 51.09 - Qualifies for 400m Final

Joanne Cuddihy ran a brilliant semifinal race to advance to Thursday's final. Cuddihy went out strong and held her form in the finishing straight where many 400-metre runners collapse.

Cuddihy, only 22, just missed Karen Shinkins' Irish record of 51.07 set back in 1999. Cuddihy was timed in 51.09 and finished third in her semifinal race. Despite her third place finish and sixth fastest time in the semis, Cuddihy drew lane 1 for the final.

The young UCD medical student has nothing left to prove and can approach the final with only the pressure she puts on herself.

The men's 200m second round saw Paul Hession through to the semifinal with a third place finish in Heat 2 of 4. Hession ran aggressively finishing in 20.80 (-0.1) just off his seasonal best of 20.75. A spot in Thursday night's final is not out of the question. Hession, 23, drew lane 2 in the second of two semifinal races.

Luck was not on the side of Paul Brizzel as the Ballymena & Antrim sprinter only made it to the 20-metre mark in his 200m heat before pulling up with a hamstring injury and being stretchered off the track. Brizzel started out of lane 1 before falling to ground writing in pain clutching his thigh.

Liam Reale took the track brimming with confidence after his performance in the 1,500m semifinal which landed him a spot on the starting line of the final.

Reale went out conservatively hugging the rail in lane 1 for the first two laps. When the lead pack pulled away with a 57-second third lap, Reale, recent Providence College graduate could not respond but to his credit did not lose touch with the remaining. Reale, from Hospital, Co Limerick ran a spirited final bend and passed two runners to finish eighth in 3.42.65.