Yalle runs for Ireland in World Championships

During a weekend when everything was going perfectly, things unraveled quicklyfor Peter Coghlan, JE '98.

In the weeks leading up to the European Track and Field Championships in Turku, Finland, the Ireland native returning home for the summer felt that he had never been running better. He had spent the early part of the summer training constantly, participating in numerous races around Europe and in his hometown of Dublin.

In the under-23 group for 110-meter hurdles, Coghlan advanced as far as the semifinals--one step shy of a goal he had set and vowed he would achieve. After all, a berth to the finals would practically ensure an invitation to the World Track Championships in Greece, something that Coghlan had always wanted.

But in the semifinals, racing "well enough to advance to the finals," Coghlan knocked down the eighth hurdle and seemingly crushed any hopes for a World Track and Field Championship qualification. Representing Ireland, the senior had been informed earlier in the summer of his selection to the nine- member Irish team that would compete in the European championships.

He had just completed an impressive year of running. This past year, Coghlan took the 110-meter hurdles title in the Ivies and the indoor 55-meter crown. The European Championships were a disheartening twist to an otherwise successful year.

"It was very disappointing," Coghlan said. "One of my main aims for the year was to make the finals [of the Europeans]. After the race, I thought, `Ah, that's it. My big chance, and I blew it.'"

Then, several days following the race, the telephone rang. A member of the Irish Track Federation was calling him to tell him some surprising news--he had been selected as one of the 20 runners that would make the trip to Greece, where, for ten days, the best runners in the world would share the same track.

"I guess I had miscalculated my chances [of qualifying]," he said. Despite his performance at Turku, his times from the year were good enough for him to make the squad. "It was a nice surprise."

In the first round, Coghlan ran his best time of the season. Still, it wouldn't be enough for him to advance; Coghlan was one hundredth of a second from making the second round. "I was, in a way, satisfied," he said. "When you compete in a world class event like this, you want to run the best you can."

With his family watching from home, Coghlan, running in the same heat as 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Florian Schwarthof and 1996 NCAA champion Reggie Torian, finished sixth in his heat. The top five advanced to the finals.

The world championships are broadcast live on three channels across Europe, so Coghlan had grown up watching his heroes race on tracks in all corners of the world.

"It was a thrill," he said. "It's hard to hide your excitement when you're sharing the same facilities with the best, like Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey." Following his first round loss, Coghlan had time to spend watching many of the featured races, including American Maurice Green's defeat of Canada's Bailey in the 100-meter sprint with a near record-breaking time.

American Allen Johnson came in first in Coghlan's event. Johnson was a gold medalist in the event at the 1996 Olympics. "I've watched him come along as a runner," Coghlan said. "In a way," he commented, "he's been a role model for me. What he does is what I should be copying."

This year's track team will turn to Coghlan as they look to chase last year's Ivy champ, University of Pennsylvania.

"Of course, it's very early," Coghlan said of the upcoming season. "But who knows. We've got a very young team, and we will look to compete within the top three in the league." Personally, Coghlan is aiming for All-American honors in 1998. After a summer running against the best in the world, Coghlan comes back to Yale looking to be one of the best in the nation.

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