European Championship bronze medallist Ciara Mageean fell agonisingly short in her bid to break Rose-Anne Galligan's Irish 800m record in Santry on Friday evening.
Mageean, gearing up for the Rio Olympics, clocked 2.00.79, just outside the target of 2.00.55 at the Morton Games. She was beaten into second on the home straight by Great Britain's Alex Bell, and admitted her frustration after the race.
"I'm very disappointed," the Portaferry woman said. "I had to a lot of the work from 250m out. I prefer to be the person chasing down the home straight instead of being the person chased.
"I'm disappointed not to give the Irish people an Irish winner, but this is my first fast 800m in a long time.
"Hopefully I showed that I have pace over the 800m as well, which will help me in the 1500m. Hopefully I'll be back to win this race in the mile in the future."
"I'm disappointed not to give the Irish people an Irish winner."
Mageean was just 0.02 of a second behind second-placed Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in Amsterdam, with Poland's Angelika Cichocka claiming the 1500m gold, in a tremendous run that gave her huge confidence heading for Brazil.
After an enormously frustrating three-year spell battling injuries, she is now in flying form and dreaming of more glory.
"It was my first major championship in five years over at the European Championships and I was happy to come away with a medal for Ireland and to see the green white and gold raises," she added.
"I was disappointed with the bronze. I think it's a testament to the work I've put in, my coach has put in and my whole team has put in.
"I'd be lost without my family, my coach Jerry Kiernan and my physio Emma Galvin. They've helped me be here. This is the first time I've been able to show the world what I can do so hopefully this is just the beginning."
