German race is no help to Dineen
Darren Dineen suffers badly in another slow race
With only a possible two attempts left time is running out for the Corkman. | 
August 23 Cottbus, Germany
Darren Dineen again suffered from poor pacing in his bid to achieve the ever-increasingly unlikely A standard at the Lausitz-Meeting in Cottbus last night.A slow and tactical race developed after an opening lap of 52.2 with Darren hanging back in the early stages.Hisefforts were to no avail as the pace slowed and the finish was left to a sprint where was caught a bit unawares from our reports and dropped two places to come home 7th.I spoke today to Victor Manuel Martinez, a training partner of mine from my time in Barcelona who finished 10th in Darren`s race and he had this to say of Darren`s performance
He (Darren) ran hard throughout and got away from me in the finishing straight but he was too passed by the leaders. When I asked Victor if he thought Darren would achieve the standard he said
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I`ve only ever seen the lad run once but I`d reckon with a better set of pacemakers he could do it.It`s not that he isn`t good enough, it`s just that out there last night the track was slow and the weather muggy which wasn`t helped by poor pacers from 400m-600m.He has a better chance then me!Good luck to him
Darren has had offers from races in Northern Italy and I believe he will take up the promoters and race in Padova on Saturday with another possible fixture of Rovereto on Monday night.Also I know that word from the Dineen camp is that the fabulous meeting in Rieti is also not out of the picture.Indeed the Dineen camp is still upbeat after this setback.Darren has now suffered three races where all the winners times have been outide the A standard.
The race winner was Said Lakhal of Germany in a time of 1.47.41.Russian Olympian Boris Kraveshnikov was second in 1.47.58 with Darren 7th in 1.47.95 slightly better than his time in the nationals on Sunday.
A fantastic performance from DSD`s Des English to follow up his national bronze medal from the weekend meant he slashed his PB in the 1500m running 3.43.84 for 6 th place..The winner of the race qas Julius Achon of Uganda in a time of 3.39.47.We commend Des on his fantastic strides this year
For full results, Click here
TNT AAI National Senior T & F Championships
Nolan wins in season`s best.Reale qualifies for Chile
August 20, Santry
The top athletes in the country were in action at the National Seniors and the middle-distance races provided class competition.The premier event must have been the Men`s 800m.With 4 athletes under 1.47 the race for the title was going to be hot.With defending champion Gareth Turnbull out for the rest of the season with injury there was to be a new champion.The leading challenger to the throne must have been James Nolan, champion in 1998.Indeed Nolan oozed class as he led from the front to hold off all the challenges in the home straight for a fine victory in a season`s best of 1.46.83.In that final sprint Daniel Caulfield powered his way to second and withheld the late challenge from the returning Dave Matthews.At the top of the straight Leevale`s Darren Dineen looked as if he could have got up into contention but Matthews held him off for the bronze.The first four all dipped under 1.48 making it the fastest final in years.There were PB`s for Brendan O`Shea, Niall Dunne and Tony Lilley of Togher.Toney has now booked his place for Chile with a time of 1.49.73.His approach of waiting for one huge effort instead of Dave Kelly`s and Paul Cambell`s intense racing program seems to have paid off as he defeated both in a closely fought race throughout.
The selectors now must decide who of Caulfield Dinneen or Matthews who will travel to Sydney to represent us at this distance.
The 1500m was lacking in the huge name stars such as Nolan who opted for the 800, Mark Carroll who went in the 5k, and Niall Bruton and Gareth Turnbul who both are out with injury.Ken Nason ran a fantastic race to squeez out Colm McClean for the gold medal.Andrew Walker was beaten by Des English of DSD in a shock result.The final was very slow and the race was not as high class as in previous years but a gold medal is a gold medal.Chile bound Conor Sweeney finished 7th with 3.55.43 as he begins to prepare for the World Juniors coming down off high intensity training as he begins to start his peak (we hope!!)
Liam Reale finished third in the 3,000m Steeple but his time of 9.09.31was good enough to secure his place on the plane to Chile.It was a fine run and good luck to him and to Tony Lilley, and Conor Sweeney from all of us here at Irish Middle-Distance Homepage.
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Dave Matthews must wait and see if he will be selected ahead of Daniel Caulfield after a third place finish in his first race of the year
James Nolan`s commanding performance will help him in his quest for glory in Sydney
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For full results, Click here
Tough race with no reward for Caulfield
Daniel Caulfield failed in his main objective
August 15 Falkoping, Sweden
DCH`s Daniel Caulfield prepared for his Santry silver medal finish with a good performance in a small meet in Sweden last week.However he failed to nab the A standard before the nationals in yet another slow race.His time of 1.48.49 was a disappointment but he did indeed run well to put himself in contention with the selectors for Sydney.We have no official time for Darren Dineen but we believe he ran 1.48.8 to finish 5th.Darren is set to run in Cottbus Germany on Tuesday night.This race could be one.
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Carroll watches as pacemakers loose the plot
Mark Carroll struggles in a poor race
August 11, Zurich, Switzerland
Mark Carroll was unfortunate in his bid to go under 13 minutes for 5k in Zurich but his performance has left some question marks over his current 5k form.In the slowest of all the Golden League meetings so far Mark sat back in preferring the same tactic that brought him 13.10 in Stockholm.A fast last quarter was not enough as Mark should have perhaps moved sooner.His time of 13.12.16 saw Mark come home in twelth place.It wasn`t what Mark had expected but with a long way to go before Sydney Mark could be in 12.58 form by the time the final comes around.Certainly in a slow race his speed would put him ith the best.
However it is the feeling of some that Mark has lost some of his freshness since his early season races in June and on the evidence of today the nationals will provide a welcomed break from World class competition so Mark can recharge for his next attempt at the magical mark of 13:00
The race was won by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia in a time of 12.57.95with Paul Tergat second.Haile had this to say after the race
"It was one of those tough races. It is getting harder and harder to win but it is normal for an elder runner." It was, as said earlier, the slowest Golden League race of the season and the rub of the green was just not with the man from the Emerland Green Isle
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Haile Gebrselassie won his first 5k Golden League outing but in a slow time
Mark Carroll must return to the drawing board after a disturbing performance
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For full results, Click here
Carroll prepares for Zurich with strong run
Mark Carroll runs 3.35.69 for 5th in Linz
August 8, Linz, Austria
Mark Carroll ran his second fastest 1,500m time of the year in an African dominated race in Linz as preparation for his Irish record attempt in Zurich.The race was tight from start to finish with Mark easily keeping with the leaders throughout but in the finishing straight he just lacked that raw speed that is needed to be a champion at 1,500m.
The race was won by P Mwangi of Kenya in a time of 3.34.29with Mark only a short distance back in 5th.
The stage is set for Mark break 13 minutes in Zurich
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Leevale`s Mark Carroll is in the form of his life and ready to make history
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For full results, Click here
DN Galan
Season`s best for Carroll over 5k
Mark Carroll at the Exxon Mobil Bislett Games in Oslo, where he set a PB for the mile
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August 2, Stockholm, Sweden
Cork`s Mark Carroll ran an astute tactical race to set a seasonal best over his favoured 5,000m at the DN Galan Meeting in Stockholm.Mark ran with a great tactical brain and sat back in the early stages and allowed the Africans to set the pace.However, the pace slowed after a blistering opening kilometer which was unfortunate for Mark but he still hung back in around 12th place and refused to use up his energy before the finish.He waited until the final lap before moving through the field to come home in 8th place just behind Alberto Garcia with a time of 13:09.64.Even though he didn`t break the 13 minute barrier he should be pleased as the tactics he chose would have suited an attempt on the national record only for the pace to slow away as the race went on.He will have another attempt in Zurich on August 11
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In the 1,500m James Nolan ran well but faded badly towards the end of his race to come home second last (13th).He was up with the leaders in the early stages but couldn`t hang in there.Perhaps his run in Barcelona took alot more out of him then he expected but his time of 3.38.59 is still an excellant effort.He will run next Monday in an 800m race in Malmo along with Darren Dineen.
James will be hoping to set a seasonal best (his current best this year is 1.47.62) while Darren is aiming to get that elusive A standard and book his ticket to Sydney in a race that contains Kennedy Kimwetich (7th in Seville last year) who has a best time of 1.43.03.The race will be shown on Eurosport so be sure to tune in!
For full results, Click here
The
News Flash
Antrim International
Danial Caulfield wins Antrim International from Shaun Abrahams in a photo finish reversing the result from the Dublin International where the South African defeated Danial.In a slow race Daniel powered down the home straight and got the knod in the photo finish.Both athletes were given the same time of 1.48.49.Crusaders` Niall Dunne continued his good run of form to finish 3rd in a time of 1.51.41
St.Malachy`s set World Record
The St.Malachy`s team of Conor Sweeny,the Fraser Twins and Francis McCafferty set a world high school record in the 4x1500m relay in a time of 16:08.34
For full results visit
Dublin International produces fast times
Dineen and Caulfield set up titanic battle for Nationals!
Darren Dineen competing for his college Harvard earlier in the year.
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July 29, Santry, DublinBoth Daniel Caulfield and Darren Dineen smashed their personal bests and marked themselves out as Sydney contenders in a fantastic race at the Dublin International yesterday(Saturday 29th).In the fastest 800m race on these shores for many years the Russian Dimitri Bogdanov took victory in a close fought encounter dipping under the 1.46 mark with 1.45.98.He was followed home closely by Zach Whitmarsh of Canada in a time of 1.46.07.Both these two athletes are on their contries Olympic teams.Whitmarsh won the Canadian trial and Bogdanov was second is his behind the great Yuri Barzakovskiy.Indeed this was the Russians second fastest run of the year as his best is 1.45.76.Whitmarsh`s season`s best before this race had been 1.47.39 and he has to be happy with his run. |
As for the Irish, all eyes were on Daniel Caulfield and Darren Dineen.Caulfield went with the pace in the early stages and was 4th at the bell with Dineen hanging back in around 6th or 7th.However with 250m to go Dineen started to move and caught Caulfield 50m out where Caulfield and Darren fought tooth and nail to the line, Daniel just getting there.Their previous personal bests had been 1.47.70 for Caulfield and 1.47.35 for Dineen.They finished with times of 1.46.84 and 1.46.88 respectively.Speaking with Darren`s father, Mike on the phone last night he told me that Darren will now look to achieving the A standard of 1.46.30 before the National Championships on August 17.
Reale puts in another fantastic performance
The men`s 1,500m was void of any major talent and Ireland`s best representitive Ken Nason came home 4th in a slow time of 3.46.61.The real story was who came home 9th.It was Ireland`s future star Liam Reale who sliced 5 seconds off his best time to finish in a time of 3.49.08.This was a brilliant result and only 1 second outside the time for the World Junior Championships in Chile.Liam is still only 17 and is very young for a Junior.I spoke to him on the phone only 20 minutes after the race:
We came through the first lap in 61 but from there on it really picked up.I just tryed to hang in there.When I`d finished I thought I`d done 3.52/3.53 but to do 3.49 is really amazing.I`m really pleased.There was some amount of elbows flying in there.It was the roughest race I`ve ever been in but I came home strongly and I`m happy even if I feel like sh*t now!
Aoife Byrne qualified for Chile in the 1,500m with a time of 4.21.36 three seconds inside the qualifying time.David Kelly just missed out.He ran 1.50.77 in the B Men`s race over 800m.The time is 1.50.00.
Results:Dublin International, Santry , Sat 29 August800m
| 1.Dimitri Bogdanov RUS 1.45.98 |
| 2.Zach Whitmarsh CAN 1.46.07 SB |
| 3.Manlo Mulaudzi RSA1.46.46 |
| 5 Danial Caulfield IRL 1.46.84 PB |
6.Darren Dineen IRL 1.46.88 PB
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1500m
1 Mike East ENG 3.43.99
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| 2Jason Thie ENG 3.45.20 |
| 3.Jimmy Mills WAL 3.45.87 |
4 Ken Nason IRL 3.46.61
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| 9 Liam Reale U20 IRL 3.49.08 PB |
 | Carroll just misses out on mile record! |
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Mark Carroll takes 2 seconds off PB!
Hicham El Guerrouj on his way to victory in yesterday`s Bislett Grand Prix in Oslo.Mark Carroll finished in 7th place.
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July 28, Oslo, Norway
Ireland`s Mark Carroll slashed two seconds off his best but it was still not enough to break Ray Flynn`s long standing national record.In a somewhat slow winning time, Morroco`s Hicham el Guerrouj was the expected winner in a time of 3:46.24.He did not make history in his attempt to break his own world record but was a comfortable winner.Mark finished back in 7th place but a time of 3.50.62 is a new personal best for the Corkman.Even though 7th doesn't sound very good he was in the thick of it for much of the race and by the end less than .5 of a second separated him from Canadian Kevin Sullivan.Mark now participates in a 5,000m race in Stockholm where he can hopefully dip under the magical 13 minute mark.
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Darren Dinneen 1.48.48,Niall Dunne 1.49.18
Budapest International Meeting
Aoife Byrne 2.06.67,David Kelly 1.51.79
BMC Grand Prix,Watford
Nolan makes standard in Irish infested race in Barcelona!
3 of Ireland`s top four 1,500m runners race each other
July 25, Barcelona, Spain
Ireland were well represented in the 1,500m at a IAAF GPI meeting in Barcelona last night when James Nolan,Mark Carroll, and Colm McClean all ran well to show good form for Sydney.Nolan`s run was by far and a way the most impressive finishing fifth just ahead of Mark Carroll in sixth.James` time of 3.36.80 was exactly the time he needed for Sydney and has shown that at this stage of the season coming off the back of two weeks training in Spain he is in good shape to go even faster.As for Mark, he had been aiming at the Irish record of 3.33. by Ray Flynn but was a little dissappointing.His time of 3.36.91 was some way off his best of 3.34.91.He put it down to jet lag and the erractic pace of the race.St.Malachy`s also had Colm McClean running and since he joined Brendan Hackett`s group this year has been in good shape.He slashed 2 seconds off his best time to come home 13th in a time of 3.40.41.In the space of two years he has taken only 3 seconds off his best but now, under the guidence of Hackett and with the likes of James Nolan, Micheal Wilcox and Noel Cullen for training partners he can only make more progress.
FISEC Games
Reale has double while Grant and Ward shine
July 24 Nantes, France
Liam Reale had a fantastic double in the FISEC Games as he won the 1,500m and 1,500m steeplechase in impressive times.Liam had a tough race against Gabor Kaltenecker of Hungary in the 1,500m but Liam was simply too good for the speedy Hungarian and led from the front to come home in a time of 3.55.06 only a short bit outside his best of 3.54.6.The following day Liam preceeded to destroy a small field in the steeple and won by 40 seconds in another powerful front-running display to break the FISEC record by a whopping 11 seconds in a time of 4.11.79.One can only think that if Liam had been in a race with stiffer competition what time he might have done.Liam`s plans now are to race in the Celtic Games in Scotland in two weeks and then aim for the World Junior Championships standard in the 3,000m steeplechase (9.10) at the National Championships.He may race again after that depending on the outcome of his bid.
In the 800m the Irish trio of Paul Grant, David Ward and Thomas Chamney had mixed results.Again it was Gabor of Hungary who was the competition but on this occasion Gabor won out.Having run 1.58 in his heat he was the favourite but David Ward (3rd in heat) blasted out from the start and at the bell the clock showed 54 with both Ward and Grant in 3rd and 4th with Chamney a bit back in 5th.Maxime Delcreau of France and Gabor moved to the front but Ward and Grant hung in and 200m from the finish Gabor kicked for home with Paul and Wardy with him.However Gabor was simply too strong and as Paul dropped away he was challenged by David but the result stayed the same.Gabor was first with Paul second and Ward third.Paul`s time of 1.54.99 was the second fastest in the British Isles this year while David Ward`s time of 1.55.58 puts him 4th.As for Thomas, he struggled and came home 6th in 2.05.86 his slowest in two years.Paul will also travel to the Celtics while Ward will aim at the Junior 3,000m at the National Seniors and Mosney before resting for next year.Thomas ran his last race in France and will consider his future over the coming month after a dissappointing year.
Martin Fagan also had a good weekend coming 3rd in the 1,500m and wining the 3,000.
Nolan wins Europa Cup!
James helps Ireland to 2nd overall
July 9 Kaunas, Lithuania
James Nolan ran well while representing Ireland at the Europa Cup in his chosen event of the 1,500m and the 800m.Nolan opened well on Saturday and took victory in the 1,500m with a time of 3:45.07.Local man Evaldas Martinka was second nearly 2.5 secs back with 3:46.23.Nolan would have expected to take victory in this slow and tactical race but in his better event ,the 800m, he could only take second behind Pavel Pelepyagin of Belarus with a time of 1.47.62.The winner ran 1.47.28
Some articles are missing
Nolan runs well in Athens
James Nolan returns to form after poor outing in Loughborough
JUNE
28 June,Athens, Greece
Tullamore`s James Nolan had a strong run to finish in 6th with a time of 2:18.11 at the Tsiklitiria Meeting in Athens.It was a good showing from Nolan on the back of his 3.38.79 for 1500m for place fourth in the Live International Meeting held in Nuremberg, Germany.The race was won by Noah NGENY in a time of 2:15.53 with Patrick KONCHELLAH in 2nd (2:15.91).Nolan was close to Dave Matthews` Irish record which augurs well for his season.
This was a welcomed return to form after a poor outing at the Loughborough International where he was suffering from stomach trouble.He was also pleased to announce his new sponsorship deal from Irish whiskey brand TULLAMORE DEW to help his preparations for Sydney
Carroll finishes 4th in Pre Meeting
Mark misses Irish Record but runs well
JUNE
24,Oregon
Mark Carroll
(3:53.80) was edged out of 3rd by Brazil's Santos de Souza (3:53.74)
after running well and being in 2nd place with 700m to go but his stamina was found wonting and he dropped back behind winner and William Chirchir
of Kenya
3:51.84 and Canada`s Kevin Sullivan and with only 60 meters left de Souza forced himself up to get past the fighting Carroll.This performance was a bit off Mark`s best of 3.52. but it was a good effort all the same.
News on Colm McClean
One of Ireland`s brightest stars opens season well
JUNE
3,Massachusetts
June 25
St. Malachy's Colm McLean ran a personal best to place sixth in the 800m in 1.48.53 at London's Battersea Park meeting.
June 14
St. Malachy's Colm McLean placed third in the 1,500 metres (3.42.41) at the BMC (British Miler's Club)
Manchester meeting.
McIlroy in limbo
The man who deserted his
country is in trouble
JUNE
21,Larne, Co.Antrim
James McIlroy, who left the
Irish team to run for Britain last summer has returned to Larne
in shame.After deserting Sean Kyle, accusing him of being a
republican and then marching off to train with Kim McDonald and
the Kenyans McIlroy is now in athletic limbo.
Rumour has it
that McIlroy`s father was involved with a row with McDonald and
McDonald told them to stuff it and stop wasting his time.McIlroy
returned to Larne where he asked Sean Kyle to take him back.Kyle
refused.He is now without a club, coach or group and is not
looking too impressive this season.His only time to date is 9.04
for 3,000m at the Golden 4 meeting in Belfast.
When asked if he
would like to come down to Dublin and train with James
Nolan,McIlroy said he just wanted to be left alone to train on
his own. Good luck to you James, you clever boy!
Carroll posts Personal
Best
Mark`s year of
progression continues
JUNE
17,Raleigh,North Carolina
Mark Carroll
(3.34.91) edged Brazil's Santos de Souza (3.34.97) in the 1,500m
at the IAAF Grand Prix I Pontiac Invitational to post a personal
best in the event and the 7th fastest time in the world this
year. It also meets the 1,500m A time for the Olympics.
While Carroll
has shown he can run with anyone in the 1,500m and the 5,000m,
the Olympic schedule makes a 1,500m - 5,000m double extremely
difficult. The 1,500m semifinal and the qualifying round of the
5,000m are both on 27 September.
Carroll told
reporters, "For me, we went out very fast. I'm a 5,000-meter
runner and I'm not used to that. As fast as it was, I was just
trying to be patient and run a steady race. I felt strong at the
finish and went for it. It worked out well. I'm very
encouraged." This was Carroll's first attempt at getting the
Irish 1,500m record (3.33.50), which ironically is held by his
manager Ray Flynn.
Carroll set for
Olympics
Mark Carroll
runs a commanding race to achieve qualifying time
JUNE
3,Massachusetts
Leevale's Mark
Carroll achieved his goal of getting the Olympic 'A' Standard
(13:29.00) by winning the 5,000m race at the New England Twilight
Track & Field Meeting .Mark`s winning effort of 13.21.24 was
more than enough to see him qualify. Carroll ran a powerful race
and eventually shook off the sticky Australian Shaun Creighton
(13:21.45) on the last lap.
With lead splits
of 2:41.5, 2:40.2(5:21), 2:43.6 (8:05.3), 2:44.1 (10:49.4), with
the last one run in 2:31.8 the race was ample but Carroll looked
throughout. Creighton also finished second behind Carroll in
Stanford in the 10k when Carroll set the Irish record of
27:46.82.
Carroll told the
Irish Times, "I'm pleased to have it out of the way. It's a
long season this year and I have a lot of work to do on
sharpness, because there is no point in going too fast too early
this year."
Dineen joins
the elite!
Havard Man
makes the grade
Pictured
at the 2000 NCAA Championships
JUNE
2,Durham,North Carolina
Cork`s Darreen
Dineen posted a personal best of 1.47.35 to finish 8th in the
NCAA T&F Championship in the fastst final in the event`s
history.Patrick Nduwimana from Burindi took the title in 1.45.08.
Dineen had
previously set a PB to reach the final in the prelims on May 31
with 1.47.76.But having said this Dineen is set to hang up his
spikes.The 23 year-old is looking to take an office job in San
Francisco.Seeing as Dineen has yet to be awarded an Irish singlet
in major competition it goes to show the contact the AAI has with
its foreign based athletes.
Briefs
21 May- 4 June
At the Harry
Jerome 2000 Invitational meeting held in Burnaby, British
Columbia, Canada meeting on. Niall Bruton (Clonliffe) placed
twelfth in the 1,500m in 3:52.72.
Clonliffe's Ken Nason ran 3:42.71 to place fourth in the 1,500m
and Dermot Galvin (Kilrush) won the second section in an
impressive 3:49.90 at the New England Twilight Track & Field
Meeting held in Massachusetts
St. Malachy's Gareth Turnbull finished second in the 1,500m
(3.39.08) at Loughbourough University International meeting held
on 21 May
Leevale's David Brosnan placed fourth in the 800m final, running
a time of 1:50.70 at the Penn Relays
Clonliffe Harriers Neville Davey placed second in the featured
3,000 metre race in 8:11.80 at the Northeastern University
Twilight Track & Field Meet #1 held on Saturday, 20 May
Modesto, California on 13 May. , Andrew Walker ran 3.43.6 in the
1,500m
Results from the GV Ryan Invitational at Santry on May 14
800m:
1 B O'Shea (Clonliffe) 1:51.8; 2 J Cashman (guest) 1:52.6; 3 N
Dunne (Crusaders) 1:52.6.
B - C Rooney (Clonliffe) 1:57.8.
U16 800m: 1 K Kelly (B&A) 2:05.4; 2 C Murray (Raheny)
2:05.6; 3 A McCormack (DSD) 2:09.4.
1500m: 1 N Brunton (Clonliffe) 3:58.6; 2 C Roberts (DSD)
4:06.8; 3 D Hayes (Raheny) 4:16.8.
B - G McGrath (DSD) 4:11.5.
3000m: 1 S Power (Kilmurry Ibr) 8:21.5; 2 N Berkeley (DSD)
8:33; 3 F McGee (Lucan) 8:35.
B - P Matthews (DSD) 8:34.
5000m (Special): 1 Power 13:56.13; 2 Berkeley 13:57.22; 3
Matthews 14:05.73
Carroll sets 10,000m Record
Treacy`s 20 Year old Record finally beaten
Pictured at the 2000 European Indoors
Mark Carroll showed that he really is in the form of his life by sneaking under John Treacy`s 10,000m national record at a track race in Stanford, California.Originally only there as a pacemaker Carroll felt so good after the opening 5,000m that he powered round the track in 13.45 for the last 5k after going out in 14.01.The fact that this was his debut at the distance just shows the form he is in as he eclipsed Treacy`s record by nearly a full two seconds,27.46.82 to John`s 27.48.70.This augurs well for Carroll`s future plans which include his bid for the Sydney qualifying time for 5,000m on June 3 at a small meet in Dedham, Massachusetts.This will be followed up by an attempt on the national mile record (held by his manager,Ray Flynn) at the Prefontaine Classic on June the 28th.
1999 Season
Kipketer pips Sepeng in exciting final
Athletes who took to the line:
*Wilson Kipketer DEN 1.43.30
*Hezekiel Sepeng RSA 1.43.32
*Said Guerni ALG 1.44.18
*Norberto Tellez CUB 1.45.03
*Japheth Kimutai KEN 1.45.33
*Andrea Longo ITA
*Kennedy Kimwetich KEN 1.46.27
*Nils Schumann GER 1.46.79
Going into the men`s 800 final Wilson Kipketer was the easy favourite after some dominating form on the grand prix circuit.Many thought Japheth Kimutai would be his main rival.Kimutai`s team-mate Kennedy Kimwetich was asked to take out the pace in an effort to neutralise Kipketer`s sprinting ability by Kenya`s team officials.Kimwetich took them though until 300 metres when suprise finalist,Algeria`s Said Guerni,hit the front and went through 400 in a fast 50.11.On the back straight South Africa`s Hezekiel Sepeng moved up on Guerni and with 250 to go Sepeng hit the front.At this stage Kipketer was well back in third but quickly moved up to cover Sepeng.Entering the final straight Sepeng was leading just from Kipketer but looked spent.Kipketer moved passed with 40 meters left but Sepeng came again but it was too late as kKipketer just held on for his third world title.In the scrap for the bronze Said Guerni,who had run a personal best in every round,came though from Kimutai who had looked off the pace though out the final.Kipketer said after the race that he knew he would pass Sepeng but was worried that there might not be enough track left to take him on while Sepeng said that his plan had been to be ahead of Kipketer coming into the straight as to add pressure to the Dane.Sepeng went on to say that he is now going to focus on trying to lower his personal best and also prepare to try and take gold in Sydney.
Men`s 1500metres
el Guerrouj shows his worth!
Athletes who took to the line:
*Hicham el Guerrouj MOR 3:27.65
*Noah Ngeny KEN 3:28.73
*Reyes Estevez ESP 3:30.57
*Fermin Cacho ESP 3.31.34*Andres Diaz ESP 3.31.83
*Laban Rotic KEN 3.33.32
*David Lelei KEN 3.33.82
Driss Maazouzi FRA 3.34.02
*Steve Holamn USA 3.34.32
*Graham Hood CAN 3.35.35
*Adil Kaouch MOR 3.47.05
*Nourridine Morceli ALG DNF
Hicham el Guerrouj successfully defended his world title when he stormed to victory in Seville.His fellow countryman Adil Kaouch led out the pace at the request of el Gurrouj much to the dissappointment of the crowd who would have preferred to see a straight race.el Guerrouj sat in until he made his break for home with Spain`s Reyes Estevez trying to go with him on the last lap.Ngeny moved up to finish second but el Guerrouj was never under any real pressure.To the delight of the home crowd Estevez came home 3rd with his teammates Fermin Cacho and Andres Diaz finishing 4th and 5th respectively.el Guerrouj broke the championship record that was set back in 1991 by Nourridine Morceli when he finished in 3:27.65.Estevez was quite angry at el Guerrouj for using his team mate Kaouch as a pace maker saying that the race was more like a grand prix race then a championship final.He went on to say that because of this he was not able to attack el Guerrouj at full blast as he was aiming for a gold medal after bronze in Athens in `97
McIlroy defects to Britain
James McIlroy leaves BLE for more money.
James McIlroy has deserted his chosen country as he announced his intention to run for Britain in the Olympics.The 22 year old Larne man lives in a predominately Loyalist area and said that "if you feel British you run for Britain,if you feel Irish you run for Ireland.I have made my decision."
He went on to say that it was under the guidence of his former coach Sean Kyle that he ended up running for Ireland"I was relying on Sean to guide me through it and he is very strongly pro-Irish,I was pushed towards Ireland.....All i want to do is improve and that is why I have made this liaison with Kim [McDonald,an English promoter].Before I was training with 13 and 14 year olds and now I'm training with some of the best athletes in the world and that can only be good for me"
Judge for yourself but I know I won`t be overly enthusiastic when I see him in action next
El-Guerrouj hammers Ngeny
Hicham el Guerrouj proved without doubt that he is the greatest 1500 metre runner around as he destroyed Noah Ngeny in Z�rich.The clash between the two had been hyped up as Hicham had avoided racing since his mile world record in Rome and Ngeny had his unsuccessful record attempts.Hicham hit the front with 550 to go and stayed there to absolutly destroy Ngeny who was some 10 metres down on Hicham at the finish.By the end Hicham was jogging at a leisurely pace as he crossed the line in a time of 3.28.57.
Another Dominant run from Kipketer
Wilson Kipketer wins in Z�rich
Wilson Kipketer yet again hammered the world`s best in the Golden League meeting from Z�rich.The first lap was a pacey 50.04 taken through by Kenya`s David Kiptoo with Kipketer in behind.With 300 to go Kipketer moved effortlessly ahead with the others languishing behind.Entering the home straight Wilson looked supremly confident and kicked for home with no immediate threat arouind him.He crossed the line in 1.43.04.Hezekiel Sepeng was a clear second with a time of [time insert] and Robert Chirchir came through ahead of Johan Botha and Japheth Kimutai for third in [time insert].Certainly it will take an awlful lot to beat Kipketer in Seville.
Kipketer is unbeatable
Wilson Kipketer wins in Monaco
Wilson Kipketer kept himself in line for the million dollar jackpot by winning impressively in Monaco.He never seemed flustered as he set the fastest time in the world this year with a 1.42.57.He was supremly confident as he entered the sraight with the athletes behind looking ready to pounce but when they did Kipketer was too strong for them all as he held off Japheth Kimutai for first.Kimutai ran a time of 1.43.09 while Hezikiel Sepeng of the RSA came home third in a time of 1.43.16.
Nolan wins Euro Silver Medal
James Nolan wins U-23 Silver!
James Nolan ran brilliantely to win a silver medal at the U-23 Europeans at Gotenburg.He ran hard all race to finish second,behind European champion Nils Schumann of Germany,in a time of 1.46.93.Schumann`s time was 1.45.23 but the gap did not not reflect on Nolan`s performance as he held off Wojciech Kaldowski by only .03 of a second.Kaldowski has a personal best of 1.45.56.Nolan certainley showed no sign of the hamstring injury which forced him to pull out of the nationals after setting a championship best in the heats.It augurs well for Seville.
Other News
National Review
Turnbull upsets them all! Carroll completes historic double!
Garth Turnbull had a fine race to win the National 800m title in Santry.With James Nolan gone from the final as he pulled out due to injury,Dave Matthews was the obvious favourite but it was not to be as Turnbull shot to the front with 300 to go after a 55 opening lap.Entering the home straight Matthews was closing but Turnbull had gas left in the tank as he held Dave off to win in a personal best of 1.48.57.In the 1500m Mark Carroll won gold by only .01 of a second from Niall Bruton in the closet finish of the day.Carroll won in a time of 3.46.2.Carroll had previously won the 5,000 in a leisurely time just outside 14 minutes as he completed a fine double never before achived.Carroll has enjoyed a return to form after a disasterous outing at the the Cork City Sports back in June.As for Bruton,he is starting to show some measure but in reality won`t impress in Seville going by current times,but who knows,stranger things have happened!Kipketer Cruises to Another Grand Prix Win!
Wilson Kipketer continues his run of good form in Paris
On Wedensday night Wilson Kipketer (seen here winning in Oslo) had a commanding win in the 800.He looked composed thoughout the race staying just behind the pacemakers Langat and Kiptoo until with 100 to go he sprinted for home.However,the race was not without incident as entering the home straight Kipketer`s spike came lose and fell off.This did not stop him from winning in a resonable 1.44.99.It was not the time that mattered but the way he won which was impressive.Hezekiel Sepeng did well to get up for second ahead of Kenya`s William Chirchir but none of the other racers ever looked like beating Kipketer.He really does look in world record form.
Ngeny wins in Paris
A dominant desplay by Noah Ngeny over 1500m on Wedensday
Noah Ngeny continued his emergence as a 1500m force with a fine win in Paris.Despite being on world record pace for the opening lap the pace slipped to a 58 second lap before Ngeny went again to post a 53 last lap.He never really looked troubled as he ran to a time of 3.28.84 to set a new personal best.Former world record holder Nourridine Morceli was second in a time of 3.30.91 with France`s Driss Maazouzi running well to third place in a time of 3.31.51
Other News
National Preview
McIlroy in doubt for Seville
James mcilroy is to miss tomorrows National 800 as he is recovering from a virus that looks likely to hinder his progress for Seville.There is also a chance he won`t be travelling to Seville as his season has really turned into a shambles.Despite having 1.46.3 to his name already this season he has not fulfilled the potential we all saw last year.James Nolan has been a man on form as he will be expected to beat his UCD rival David Matthews who has just achieved an A standard by only .3 of a second.Under his new coach ,Jim Kilty,Matthews has showed new vigour following the death of his long time coach ,Noel Carroll,and could suprise us all in Seville.
Articles
Morceli`s Mile Record Smashed in Rome
Hicham el Guerrouj breaks mile world record
Last night Hicham el Guerrouj ran a fine race to break the world mile record at the second golden league meeting in Rome.The Moroccan powered his way to the record in fine style in a time of 3.43.13.His time took 1.1seconds off the previous record which was held by Algeria`s Nouridine Morceli.Kenya`s Noah Ngeny ran superbly to finish 2nd in a time of 3.43.40,his time also under the old record and a new Kenyan record.The interesting fact is that Ngeny was so close to el Guerrouj.This could mean the the 24 year old Moroccan won`t have it all his own this year as he did last year winning 13 out of his 13 races
Kipketer wins again
Wilson Kipketer wins in Rome
Last night Wilson Kipketer ran another fine race to win the second golden league meeting in Rome.The Dane fought all the way down the home straight to just beat Kenya`s Japheth Kimutai in a time of 1.42.79,the fastest of the year so far.Kimutai did well and seems to be regaining form after a poor showing at Oslo a fortnight ago.His time was 1.42.98.South Africa`s Hezikiel Sepeng was third in a time of 1.44.19
Other News
Bruton wins Morton Mile
Bruton pushed hard by Walker
In the 30th aniversary of Joe Morton`s death the Morton Mile was won by Clonliffe`s Niall Bruton from UCD`s Andrew Walker.Walker gained a lead of around 8 metres on Bruton coming into the home straight but faded towards the end to allow Bruton up to win in a time of 4.01.46 with Walker finishing in 4.01.87.MSB�s Ken Nason was third while former Olympic 1500m semi-finalist Shane Healy wilted to 5th as he fails to regain any sort of form.Bruton blamed lack of concentration on the gap he allow develop between himself and Walker.He also has a new coach in the form of Ballymena`s Sean Kyle who is currently coaching James McIlroy.Hopefully this change will see Bruton achieve an A standard for Seville
<Kipketer Returns to Form
Wilson Kipketer wins in Oslo
Last night Wilson Kipketer ran a fine race to win a star-studded race at the Bislett Games in Oslo last night.The Dane held back in around 4th place until with 150m to go he let fly with a ferocious kick that left the field dead.His time was 1.43.11,the fastest time of `99.The world indoor champion Johan Botha ran well to finish 2nd in a time of 1.43.91,the second fastest time of the year.Kennedy Kimwetich ran hard all race put was passed by both Kipketer and Botha on the home straight to finish 3rd ahead of European Silver Medalist Andre Bucher in a time of 1.43.98.Japheth Kimutai failed to impress as he was killed on the home straight and ended up finishing in 11th with a time of 1.46.46
Nolan breaks 4 minute barrier
Nolan 4th in Mile at Gateshead
James Nolan finished forth behind John Mayock and the Russian Andrey Zadorozhnig and race winner Haile Gabrsailsse (his time was 3.52) at Gateshead last week.In a sprint finish he just lost out on third place in a time of 3.56.6.
Other News
Matthews must improve for Seville
David Matthews must improve his 800m time in the coming months as he has not yet achieved an A standard.Both James McIlroy and James Nolan have A standard times and as a result Matthews might not travel as he only has a B standard.Niall Bruton also only has a B standard as well as Mark Carroll.
Europa Cup
Another Poor result from McIlroy
Belfast born James McIlroy had yet another dissappointing run in Finland yesterday.He finished 5th in a time of 1.51.31.He was outkicked on the home straight in a race won by Norway`s Verb�rjn Rodal.
800m & 1500m Times
Early Season Times
Young Kenyan Japhet Kimutai continued his reign as the best 800m runner at the moment by posting the fastest time of the year at Rehlingen with a 1.44.12.Haile Gabrselassie has the fastest 1500m time with 3.33.47 set at the World Indoor Championships.
Europa Cup
James Nolan finished second at the Europa Cup in Lahti,Finland ,yesterday.He ran in the 1500m as James McIlroy had been selected for the 800m.Nolan finished behind Norway`s T Odegaard with a time of 3.50.08.
McIlroy Beaten
UCD Athlete David Matthews defeated James McIlroy at Santry at the President`s Selection Meet back in mid-May.Both times were in the mid 1.47`s but this defeat to McIlroy is his second dissappointing performance in as many races.At the GV Invitationals,again in Santry,he ran a slow 3.57 for 1500 meters.
Paul Tergat won the World Cross-country championships in fine style in Belfast.He helped his team(Kenya) to their 14th title in a row,the longest unbeaten run in the history of any sport.Geta Wami of Ethiopia was first in the women`s long course.Mark Carroll was 21st in the men`s short course and Mary Keenan-Buckley was 22nd in the women�s short course
Nolan Fifth in indoors
Ireland`s James Nolan was in fine form as he finished fifth in Japan at the World Indoor Championships.The race was won by Johan Botha from South Africa with Wilson Kipketer second.Nico Motchebon went out in front but towards the end of the race was passed by Botha and on the line he was passed by Kipketer.Kipketer left his late surge too late and was pipped by just two one hundreths of a second.Motchebon hung on for third.Dave Matthews ran dissappointingly.He was eliminated in the heats.
Nolan posts 24th fastest time of Indoor season
James Nolan posted the 24th fastest time of the year as he broke the Irish record with a time of 1.47.46 in an indoor meet at Oslo
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