Live European Championships updates: Sarah Healy in 5,000m final action

Women’s 5,000m final, 7.25pmSarah Healy falls back to fifth down the home straight but sprints hard to the line to bring it back for a fourth-place finish. Battocletti takes the win for Italy, followed by Marta García of Spain in second and Italy’s Micol Majori taking bronze. Healy slips back to fourth but pull back up to third as they take the bell. Now they’re motoring.Battocletti pushes to the front, Healy gets stuck on the inside to fall back to fifth.Two laps, 800m to go. Healy still third. Koster leads, with Battocletti in second.The runners bunch up again as they hit 4,000m in 12:57 flat.Healy still towards the front in third. Now they up the tempo at the front led by Koster.It’s Nadia Battocletti, Maureen Koster of the Netherlands, Spain’s Marta García (Spain) and Ireland’s Sarah Healy out in front as the field starts to draw out.Healy’s really dropped back the field because of her inside position, so she’s made the jump around the outside and has pulled herself back to about sixth by going wide.Italy’s Nadia Battocletti goes to the front, she’s done with this slow pace.Healy’s found herself in a tricky position, falling back to get stuck on the inside of the track. She’ll be hoping a gap opens up before any attack is launched.Healy is tucked in right behind Maureen Koster of the Netherlands, who’s one of the medal hopefuls.They hit the 2,000m-mark at 6:38.03, a little pick up in the last km.The bunch close the gap to Bakraçi at the front, but they’re coasting here. First km clocked 3:20.95.Healy still up front, sitting fith at 1,400m.Gresa Bakraçi of Kosovo is out in front, the rest of the field letting her go. The punch holding their comfortable pace as they hit the 1,000m-mark.Fairly pedestrian pace to start. This will suit Healy, who gives her bit of space on the outside, well-placed in seventh.And they’re off. It’s 12.5 times around.Healy in the outside group and tucks in near the front when they round the first bend.Looking like a lovely evening in Birmingham as the 5,000m field is introduced at the Alexander Stadium.Sarah Healy’s looking calm, a few Irish flags in the crowd to cheer her on.Five minutes to the starting gun now. Here’s the full 26-strong field:Gresa Bakraçi (Kosovo)Nadia Battocletti (Italy)Vera Bertemes-Hoffmann (Luxembourg)Nathalie Blomqvist (Finland)Federica del Buono (Italy)Innes Fitzgerald (Britain)Maria Forero (Spain)Marta García (Spain)Jennifer Gulikers (Netherlands)Sarah Healy (Ireland)Maureen Koster (Netherlands)Amina Maatoug (Netherlands)Micol Majori (Italy)Vanessa Mikitenko (Germany)Hannah Nuttall (Britain)Elisa Palmero (Italy)Idaira Prieto (Spain)Lisa Redlinger (Austria)Amalie Sæten (Norway)Anna Marie Nordengen Sirevåg (Norway)Vera Sjöberg (Sweden)Aino Suni (Finland)Elise Vanderelst (Belgium)Eloise Walker (Britain)Madelène Wanvik Holum (Norway)India Weir (Britain)The 5,000m is a straight final event, so Healy hasn’t had a chance to gauge her competition up close.The main contenders are Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who took gold in the event two years ago, and Maureen Koster of the Netherlands, the fasters European over the distance so far this year.“Every 5,000m race ebbs and flows between the struggle and the sustainable, the tactics and anxieties, and any sudden premonitions between success or failure,” Ian O’Riordan writes. “For Sarah Healy, Tuesday’s final at the European Championships is also about staying the distance long enough to deliver her already proven finishing kick.“It’s an exciting prospect, the 25-year-old rounding into the sort of form which saw her win the European Indoor 3,000m title in March last year.“But Healy is still far more experienced as a 1,500m runner, and therein lies the intrigue.”Read Ian’s preview of this evening’s 5,000m in full below:[ Sarah Healy out to continue strong Irish 5,000m tradition at European Athletics ChampionshipsOpens in new window ]There’s also Irish interest over in Paris, where the European Aquatic Championships are taking place.In this morning’s session, Daniel Wiffen was third fastest overall in the men’s 800m freestyle heats to qualify for Wednesday evening’s final.Mona Mc Sharry after winning her semi-final in the women's 100m breaststroke at the European Aquatic Championships in Paris. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Mona McSharry and Ellie McCartney both got through this morning’s heats in the women’s 100m breaststroke, and were back in the pool this evening for the semi-finals. An Olympic bronze medallist in the event at the Paris Games, McSharry comfortably qualified for Wednesday’s final, second fastest across the two semi-finals, while McCartney finished 16th to miss out on progression.Meanwhile, Jack Kelly’s first senior international final ended in a seventh-place finish in the men’s 100m breaststroke, and John Shortt was fifth fastest among the semi-finalists in the men’s 200m backstroke to earn a lane in tomorrow’s final.Good evening everyone and welcome along to our live blog for the evening session on day two at the European Athletics Championships.Four Irish athletes are in action in Birmingham this evening, but we’ll be focusing on Sarah Healy in the women’s 5,000m.It’s a straight final, so medals are on the line, and the Dubliner will be looking to continue the fine form that saw her capture gold in the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships last year.Healy’s race is off at 7.25pm, with Toluwabori Akinola and Israel Olatunde to follow in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m (8.32pm and 8.46pm respectively), before Jack Raftery takes to the track for the semi-finals of the men’s 400m at 9.08pm.