Derry Track athlete crowned Irish Indoor 400m champion

Derry Track Club’s Conor Kelly was crowned Irish 400m Indoor Champion.

The 17-year-old claimed victory at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin at the weekend.

This came days after the announcement that he would be travelling with the Irish squad for the European Indoor Championships to compete in the 4x400 metres race.

Athletics Ireland announced a final squad selection for the games, which take place in the Netherlands from March 6th to 9th.

Kelly was frustrated that he missed out on breaking the championship record time but was still brimming with pride about his performance.

He said: “There is still a lot I can tweak and work on. I’m still working out how to push in the middle of the race. I feel like I relax too much, and it looks off of what I think; it looks too easy when I run. It looks like I’m not really giving it that force the whole way but definitely a lot to learn from.

“That was my first indoor race, 46.80.

“I’ve never really been an indoor runner; I’ve always kind of been a bit shaky. That 46.80 made me realise I need to up my game and kind of prep for these indoor championships because the senior vest is on the line.”

Born in London to Irish parents, his mother, Mary Jo, is from the well-known Doherty Bakers family in Derry, while his father, Steve, was born in Lisburn but grew up in Dublin.

Kelly believed the atmosphere in Dublin was one of the best atmospheres he had ever experienced, only behind the one he experienced in Slovakia at the under-18 championships last year.

He said: “I see everything as a goal. I know I’m in 45 shape for outdoors, especially after these indoor races. I think definitely pushing 45 low, when I get outside, is going to be a completely different story. I hate this indoor track, so it is going to be exciting. European indoors, World indoors… but yeah, then we get outside, world relays outdoors, world champs outdoors. There’s so much that I am looking for, but as much as I love the relay, I really want to be in those individual places, so times have to come down a bit to be pushing that 45 low, that 44 high if I want to be competitive in those individual places.”