ATHLETICS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SOMETIMES THERE is more to winning a national title. With the European Championships fast approaching, now is the time for big performances, and for those athletes with any medal ambitions in Barcelona in two weeks, Santry provided the near-perfect dress rehearsal – with just a couple of exceptions.
Derval O’Rourke, Paul Hession, Thomas Chamney, Joanne Cuddihy, Alistair Cragg and Rob Heffernan all did what they needed to do: gave themselves a winning send-off. No worries there.
Yet David Gillick and Olive Loughnane raised some concerns when they withdrew from their events – although no worries there either, it seems.
Definitely no worries now for Gordon Kennedy from Tullamore, who had spent the summer chasing the qualifying time for Barcelona over 400 metres – and finally got it by winning the national title in 46.57 seconds. It was just reward for the 29-year-old, who thus makes his first major championship as an individual after 10 years of trying, having run the relay in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Cuddihy won the women’s title in 52.73.
Gillick was in Santry to run the 100 metres, mainly as a training exercise, having clocked a season’s best of 44.95 to win the 400 metres at a pre-championship meeting in Barcelona on Friday night. Clearly, that suggests everything is going to plan. But in the meantime Gillick noticed a slight pain in his foot – known in the business as planter fasciitis. He ran his 100 metres heat early yesterday, then opted out of the semi-final round, on a precautionary basis.
“Now is not the time to take any risks,” said Gillick, who is ranked second fastest in Europe. “It’s not really a problem at all, and if this was Barcelona this weekend then of course I’d be running. But at the same time it’s something you have to be careful about, to nip in the bud. So look, better save it than chance anything.”
Loughnane was a late withdrawal from the 5km walk on Saturday, but, like Gillick, only as precaution. The World Championship silver medallist picked up a stomach bug on Friday, and is saving all her effort for Barcelona.
No such problems for O’Rourke, who duly collected her eighth 100m hurdles title – equalling the record number of titles held by Waterford’s Susan Smith-Walsh. Effectively a time trial, O’Rourke looked smooth and strong over the hurdles, winning in 13.26 – over a second clear of Maireád Murphy of UCD.
She’d run it into a slight headwind, too, and if everything goes to plan O’Rourke looks set to make the final in Barcelona and defend the silver medal won in Gotherburg four years ago.
“That’s it, all about making the final,” she said. “It’s been another funny season, being disqualified for a false start in Barcelona on Friday. The first time in my life! But better let that happen now. I still hope to have a couple more races, but yes, everything is coming together.”
For Alistair Cragg, the feeling is if he gets his act together he’s still damn hard to beat – and the way he defended his 5,000m title yesterday suggested maybe this time he is. He’d run 13:21.66 in Gateshead less than 24 hours earlier, then came out here and won in 14:04.64, looking comfortable throughout, and closing with an impressive turn of speed over the last lap, which eventually dropped Joe Sweeney of Dundrum, who had done much of the early running.
“I think maybe in the past I have been running too well in April, instead of this time of the summer,” said Cragg – who will concentrate solely on the 5,000 metres. “Training has gone well, I’m not over-raced, and I’m excited now to get out there and give it a good shot.”
But Cragg isn’t our only distance running hope in Barcelona; Thomas Chamney also looks to be timing his season to perfection, and, having also run a best of 3:36.83 for 1,500 metres in Barcelona on Friday, came to Santry and easily defended his 800 metres title in 1:48.84. But that job was made a lot easier by the absence of Dave Campbell, who watched trackside on crutches, having recently undergone a hip operation. “I’ll be sick into my cornflakes if I don’t get out of the first round in Barcelona,” said Chamney, who is concentrating on the 1,500 metres. “This summer I’ve been training better, racing better. So no excuses.
“I also want to wish Dave Campbell well. Look, we’ll never be friends. But our rivalry is good for the sport. And I do miss him. I just never thought I’d say that.”
In the sprints, Hession was typically unruffled when winning a fourth 200 metres title clocking 20.77.
The title of fastest man and woman in Ireland this year went to Jonathan Holmes of Kilkenny (10.71) and Ailis McSweeney of Leevale (11.60) – with McSweeney also Barcelona-bound as part of the sprint relay.
Rose Anne Galligan underlined her good form defending her 800 metres title, beating Ciara Mageean in the stretch, in 2:03.35.
Heffernan won the 10km walk in 39:07.21.
Finally, there was a happy couple – in every sense – when Hazel Murphy of DSD won the 1,500 metres in 4:18.24, followed by Mark Christie of Mullingar winning the men’s title in 3:48.20.
