With heats and semi-finals to negotiate, tactics are important in the early stages of any championship. But if you still don’t have an Olympic A standard time, do you go for broke from the start and jeopardise the chances of a European medal?
That is certainly the dilemma facing Jason Smyth in the 100m and 200m runner Steven Colvert, both of them just outside the Olympic A standard.
Smyth has run 10.24 so far this season, ranking him 11th of the sprinters registered for next week’s games. He also has a wind-assisted 10.17 to his credit – the London 2012 time is 10.18.
Colvert has run 20.57 to put him 16th in Europe – two-hundreds of a second off the 20.55 he needs to make the London team.
Both sprinters are guaranteed good competition. Topping the 100m rankings is France’s Christopher Lemaitre on 10.04, while in the 200m, new sensation Churandy Martina of the Netherlands has run 19.94 this season.
Brian Gregan with a time of 45.91 is 14th fastest of the 400m runners registered, with Britain’s Jonathan Lavers on 45.08 topping the list.
In the women’s 400m, Joanna Cuddidy could snatch a medal, with her time of 51.43 this season putting her third of the runners entered behind Italy’s Libania Grenot on 50.92.
Both Ciaran Mageean and Orla Drumm in the 1500m will have to improve on their current form if they are to make it past the heats, with the Russian Kristina Khaleyeva having run a sensational 3:59.89. Paul Robinson and Rory Cheseer both go in the men’s 1500m, where Turkey’s Ilham Tanui Ozbilen is favourite to win.
Ireland’s best chance of a medal comes in the women’s 10,000m where European cross-country champion Fionnuala Britton’s time of 31:29.22 puts her top of the rankings.
Mark Kenneally, just back from a trip to London to inspect the marathon course, runs the men’s 10,000m, along with David Rooney.
Of the younger athletes, Ben Reynolds goes in the 100m hurdles, Thomas Barr and Jason Harvey in the 400m hurdles, Jessie Barr in the women’s 400m hurdles and Amy Foster in the 100m.
Harvey and Barr, along with Gregan David Gillick, Tim Crowe and Brian Murphy make up the squad for the 4x400m. Joanne and Caitriona Cuddidy, Claire Bergin, Michalle Carey, Marian Heffernan and Joanna Mills are selected for the 4x400m squad.
Over 600 races have got permits so far this year, but where, many are asking, is the quality control?
No worries of that sort this weekend, with two superb races on offer. In Co Meath, the Dunshaughlin 10km has long been recognised not only as one of the best races in the country but also as a great night out, with exceptional refreshments, prizes and even musical entertainment.
The Strawberry Half Marathon in Enniscorthy hasn’t been around as long, but already runners of the calibre of Linda Byrne and Caitriona Jennings make it a “must do” each year. Byrne has collected the cheque and a glass trophy full of strawberries for the past two years, with Jennings not far behind here.
Fortunately, the races don’t clash the directly with Dunshaughlin on Saturday and Enniscorthy on Sunday.
Irish junior cross-country champion Sarah Collins, who is originally from Cork but based in Switzerland, ran 9 mins 42.37 secs to finish third in the 3000m and the AAA U-20 Championships in Bedford. Earlier this season, Collins set a new Irish junior 5,000m record 16:41.29 in Koblenz Germany. Ben Kiely finished second in the 100m hurdles, while Joanna Mills ran 55.37 for second in the 400m, so nailing down a place on the 4x400m squad for the European Championships. At U-23 level, Niamh Whelan finished second in the 200m in 24.11
BHAA runners go off-road next Tuesday with the Irish Prison Services Trail 5km in the Phoenix Park. If you’ve never taken part in a trail race, this is a great place to start! See www.bhaa.ie. Great value also is tomorrow’s Crusaders 3km Beach Race, in Dublin’s Sandymount, 7.30pm. Entry is €3 on the night.
David Flynn and his Clonliffe clubmate Gary O’Hanlon finished first and second at the 3rd Bravehart 5km in Trim. After running together for the entire race, O’Hanlon sportingly raised his younger clubmate’s arm as they crossed the line in 16.07 and 16.08. Third was Mullingar’s Kevin Baker.
First woman was Dunboyne veteran Emilia Dan, who finished ahead of Imelda Clarke from Na Fianna and Linda Fahy of Dunshaughlin, recently selected for the World Duathlon Championships.
In two flying finishes, John Eves of DSD and Rathfarnham’s Maria Dolan won a well-supported Midsummer 5km in St Anne’s Park Raheny. Eves was chased all the way to the line by newcomer Colm O’Connell, who had turned up for the opening race in the Lord Mayor of Raheny 2-mile series – and won it. Dolan caught Fionnuala O’Doherty of Clonliffe in the final 400m. In the Dublin Novice Championships, run in conjunction with the race, Donore’s women and the Tallaght men were the winners.
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