Andrew Coscoran finishes 12th in thrilling 1500m World final

ANDREW COSCORAN HAS finished 12th in the men’s 1500m final at the World Championships in Tokyo.

In a dramatic global decider, Coscoran crossed the line in 3:35:87, but the thrills happened ahead of the Balbriggan man.

Portugal’s Isaac Nader (3:34:10) picked the pocket of longtime leader Jake Wightman (3:34:12) of Great Britain to claim a shock gold, chasing down the 2022 world champion and pipping Wightman at the line by two hundredths of a second.

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Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot (3:34:25) claimed bronze, well clear of compatriot Timothy Cheruiyot — no relation — in fourth.

Dutchman Niels Laros, favoured by many to claim gold in this wide-open final, was in fifth, while 2023 world champ and Paris Olympic silver medallist Josh Kerr of Great Britain finished gallantly but well down the pecking order having appeared visibly injured ahead of the final lap.

Speaking to RTÉ’s David Gillick immediately post-race, Coscoran described himself as “disappointed” with his 12th-placed finish.

“I think I was just trying to find a good position at the front, and then ended up wasting a bit of energy around the back too much.

“So, I just needed to get myself up into a position higher up at the bell — [I was] just too far back. But everyone wants to be there so it’s difficult to get there without wasting, as well, so it’s just one of those things, you know?

“I probably could have picked off a few names at the end there if I just had held back a bit later”, Coscoran added, “but I was at the back or towards the back and then trying to make a few moves and just burnt myself out.

“So, it’s a learning experience, I suppose, like. And it’s probably what I knew already, but it’s just sometimes you just can’t do anything about it either, unfortunately.”