ATHLETICS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:BUILT IN 1929, classically renovated for the 1992 Olympics, and polished up again for this week's European Championships, this charming old stadium on the slopes of Montjuic hasn't proved the luckiest of hunting grounds for Irish athletes. Sonia O'Sullivan finished a close fourth here in those 1992 Olympics, and that's about the highlight of Irish athletic achievement in and around the long history of Catalonia.
David Gillick might disagree, not so much about Barcelona, but definitely about Spain. Gillick first broke onto the athletics scene a few hundred miles southwest in Madrid, when famously winning the 2005 European Indoor title over 400 metres.
Last year, also in Madrid, he ran his Irish record of 44.77 seconds, and three weeks ago, he tried out the new blue track in this old 56,000-seater stadium and ran his season best of 44.95. Ola, Espana!
Truth is, since winning that European Indoor title in Madrid, Gillick has gradually established himself as the leading 400-metre runner in Europe.
Now, the 27-year-old Dubliner is one of the favourites to win the European outdoor title – and gets that gold medal quest under way this morning.
Championships, naturally, don’t always go to favourites, and Gillick has a couple of races to find out exactly what he needs to do to win.
“Not much more can be done at this stage,” he says, stating the obvious. “I’m happy with where I’m currently at.
“I have worked very hard over the winter, so it’s just about focusing on the process now, and letting the outcome look after itself.
“My main aim is to run well, of course, and if that’s good enough to win, or get a medal, so be it.”
This morning’s heats should be a formality; Gillick goes in the third of five, with the top four – and four fastest losers – progressing to tomorrow’s semi-finals.
That’s when things get interesting. From the three semi-finals, only the first two – and two fastest losers – progress to Friday’s final. If Gillick is serious about winning gold, he’ll want to win his semi-final, to secure a prime lane, plus lay down a warning to his challengers.
Among those challengers is the much-improved Jonathan Borlee from Belgium, who two weeks ago ran a national record of 44.77 (as in identical to Gillick’s Irish record). Borlee also beat Gillick in the European Team Championships back in June, but it remains to be seen how well he handles three races in four days.
After that there’s Gillick’s training partner, Martyn Rooney, who has run 44.99 this year; his British team-mate Michael Bingham, with his 45.08; and Kevin Borlee – Jonathan’s twin – who has run 45.22.
Only after tomorrow’s semi-finals will the true picture emerge, but Gillick has already discussed tactics with Ireland team manager Patsy McGonagle. They’re clear that winning the semi-final is crucial. Gillick doesn’t want to find himself in a bad lane, like he did in the World Indoors in Doha back in March, and chance a repeat of the outcome there (he ran poorly and was then disqualified).
Gillick is one of 11 Irish athletes who get their campaign under way today – which represents a full third of the Ireland team. Although a few of those will do well to see a second day. Brian Gregan and Gordon Kennedy also go in the 400 metres heats; Gregan’s season’s best of 46.65 ranks him slowest in heat four, and Kennedy will also need to improve on his 46.57 if he’s to progress from heat one.
Overall championship entries in Barcelona are up, to a record 1,368 athletes, and, for the first time, all 50 European athletics member federations are represented. However, entries in some events are down, and thus a couple of opening rounds were scratched: the men’s 1,500 metres begins tomorrow with the two semi-finals – which makes Thomas Chamney’s task of qualifying for the final that bit more demanding. And the first round of the women’s 400 metres was also scratched, with Joanne Cuddihy not out now until tomorrow’s semi-final.
Among those out in the early morning session are Rob Heffernan and Jamie Costin in the men’s 20km walk, which is staged over a tight 1km loop in the heart of the city.
How much that, plus the heat, affect their chances is unclear, but Heffernan, now 32, has the credentials: seventh at the 2007 World Championships and eighth at the Beijing Olympics, he shouldn’t be too far off the leading half dozen.
There are three Irish entrants in the women’s 400 metres hurdles – Justine Kinney, Michelle Carey, Brona Furlong – and later Rose Anne Galligan will look to underline her progress this summer by progressing from the heats of the 800 metres.
This evening, Jason Smyth will make athletics history as the first Paralympic athlete to compete in the European Championships when he goes in the last of five 100 metres heats. The partially-sighted Derry sprinter, just turned 23, has a season’s best of 10.32, and while that’s unlikely to see him through to the second round, the cameras will still be on him.
Plus, Smyth has drawn Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre (20), in the same heat. Two weeks ago, Lemaitre won the French title in 9.98 seconds – thus becoming the first white man to run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds.
Standing in his way of the gold medal is Britain’s Dwain Chambers, the former drugs cheat who swears these days he’s doing it all cleanly. We’ll see what kind of reaction he gets if he does win.
