Nick Griggs finished third in the 3000m at the Meeting L'Eure, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event, in France on Sunday evening.
The 19-year-old from Tyrone ran 7:45.94 as he finished behind Hicham Akankam (7:45.80) of Morocco in second and winner Kyumbe Munguti (7:44.93) of Kenya.
Griggs was fifth at the bell but moved into third as the leading pack turned onto the back straight.
10 December 2023; Nick Griggs of Ireland celebrates with his team gold medal and individual bronze medal for the U20 men's 5000m during the SPAR European Cross Country Championships at Laeken Park in Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
"Good way to open up the track campaign and first race as a somewhat senior athlete," he posted to somewhat social media.
"Hopefully faster to come in the next few weeks."
The run took nearly eight seconds off Griggs's 3000m personal best and was just 0.03 outside Darragh McElhinney's national U23 record. It also puts the Candour Track Club athlete at number seven on the all-time indoor Irish list for 3000m.
Nick Griggs third in 3000m at Meeting L'Eure
A seriously impressive third place finish over 3000m for @nickgriggs4321 this evening at Meeting de l’Eure in France clocking 7.45.94 🤩
0.03s outside the U23 national record and propels him to seventh on the Irish Indoor All-Time List at the age of 19 🙌🏻#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/OJIVSgkNTj
— Rory Cassidy (@rorycassidy01) January 28, 2024
After finishing school last year, Griggs's plan was to take a year out and train full-time with qualification for this year's Olympic Games in Paris as his goal.
"If anyone asked me, ‘What are you going to be when you’re older?’, I didn’t even say a pro athlete. I didn’t know what a pro athlete was. I just said, ‘I’m going to be an Olympian’," said Griggs.
"To say I could achieve that at 19 would mean everything to me, and even if I didn’t make it next year and I made it when I was 23, it would mean the world."
Over the weekend, Andrew Coscoran took just over four seconds off the Irish 5000m indoor record when he ran 13:12.56 in Boston.
💥 COSCORAN BREAKS IRISH INDOOR 5000M RECORD 💥
Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea A.C.) has broken the Irish Indoor 5000m record overnight in America 🤩
Competing at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, the 27-year-old Dubliner clocked a time of 13.12.56 to take over… pic.twitter.com/2g0rW0ytGe
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) January 27, 2024
