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Sarah Healy has finished sixth in the women's 3000m final at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.

Thirteen days after becoming European champion in the event, the Dubliner lined up with genuine ambitions of adding to her medal haul, but when the pace was ratcheted up with two laps to go she had no answer to the power of the pre-race favourites.

Ranked fourth coming into the championships based on her season's best and Irish record of 8:30.79, Healy was up against formidable opponents in Olympic 1,500m silver medallist, the 2024 1500m world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu and Shelby Houlihan of the United States.

Healy settled into the pack midway in the early stages of the race, where the usual early jostling never came to pass.

The 24-year-old found an early rhythm in the 15-lap race where Australia's Jessie Hull, dictated matters from the front.

Hailu, the pre-race favourite, lurked at the rear before eventually moving up therough the field, tucking in behind the Irish runner as the Ethiopian surveyed her options.

Healy looked comfortable on the shoulders of the pacesetters as local favourite Yuan Li did her turn at the front, but with two laps to go, the injection of pace aplintered the group.

The European champion fell off the back of the challengers as Hailu showed her class to power to gold, with Houilhan pipping Hull for silver.

Healy eventually came home in sixth in a time of 8:40.00.

"I'm not overjoyed but I feel like it was solid," Healy told RTÉ's Greg Allen after the race. "I probably expected to be really fast from the gun.

"I was hoping I'd get involved and try to run as fast as I could but it wasn't really that type of race. So I think I made a few mistakes with positioning. So, I got caught on the back