30 December 2007
BEIJING BECKONS FOR GARETH TURNBULL
Turnbull (1)
Goes Into An Early Lead from Joe McAlister (2) and James McIlroy (6). Also
in the picture are Allan Bogle (11) and Gareth Hill (486) (Photo: Declan
Roughan)
The Beijing Olympics are fixed
firmly in the sights of Belfast miler Gareth Turnbull after winning two of
the top Northern road races in the past three weeks.
The St. Malachy’s athlete was a very
impressive winner of the Greencastle “5” in Tyrone on St. Stephen’s Day
breaking his own two-year-old course in the process.
Earlier this month he picked up the NI ten
kilometre title road title when he easily over came a strong field in the
Joe Seeley race at Ormeau Park.
However Turnbull will now turn his back on
road racing for the next number of weeks after declaring himself “a lot
fitter than two years ago”.
He has also decided to miss the indoor season
and instead head to Florida in February for some quality training with
multi Irish record holder Mark Carroll.
“I’ve been a bit cheeky racing on the road
two times this month but I’ll be selective now and even the four
kilometres in Edinburgh I’ve been asked to do, that might go out the
window too,” revealed the former World Student Games silver medallist.
“I’m so delighted where I am, being
injury-free at the moment, I just don’t want to mess anything up and I
would be ashamed to try to chase after a couple of quid and not look after
my body.
“I can have a lot of money in April but not
have any legs under me or I could be poor and running well. I’d prefer to
be running well.”
Turnbull made the World Championships in
Paris in 2003 but only after chasing around Europe for a great part of the
summer trying to get the qualifying time which he eventually did in
Cuxhaven, Germany.
However, the Loughborough graduate has plans
in place to avoid a repeat of that frenetic pursuit he had to undertake
almost four years ago.
“I’ll go off to America in February and do
really five or six weeks what I would call sharpening-up and then getting
into really good shape.
“The Florida relays start the 23rd
March and there’s a 1500m at the start of the week and at the finish of
the week so I would be hoping to run 3:38 which would be good at that
stage of the year.
“Then I can dedicate April to just finding
some decent races in America because they are crying out for athletes to
be in shape to run those races.
“I’m not good enough to get into those races
just by clicking my fingers anymore, I have a PB (personal best) but it’s
too old (3:36.60 – 2003) and so my way of getting into those races is to
show some good early season form,” concluded Turnbull.
Local fans will, however, have an opportunity
to get a glimpse of the former Irish 1500 metres champion in competitive
action before he leaves for the United States at the Armagh Road Races on
February 21.
Mark Carroll is also a confirmed starter for
what has become, without exaggeration, one of the best 5K road races in
the World.
26 December 2007
Gareth Turnbull breaks his
own record in Greencastle (Photo: Declan Roughan)
There may not on the face of it appear to be
much of a link between Beijing and Tyrone.
However, at least four athletes will be
hoping that yesterday’s Greencastle “5” Mile road race were the first
steps on the road to the Chinese capital for next year’s Olympic Games.
Gareth Turnbull who is looking for a 1500
metres spot on the Irish team showed he is wintering well with an
impressive victory.
Despite strong crosswinds Turnbull imposed
himself on the race from the halfway point before coming home almost a
minute clear of the field in 24 minutes 21 seconds.
The time shaved three seconds off the mark he
set himself in winning two years ago.
“I’m happy with that given the wind
conditions,” was Turnbull’s reaction after the race.
“I wasn’t in as good a shape two years ago so
the weather must have held me back. I knew that I would have to go off
fairly quickly and I just ran my own race to run 24 minutes and if anyone
wanted to join me they were welcome.
“James McIlroy was greatly improved on where
he was two years ago and he was certainly there for far longer,” said the
Loughborough graduate.
Another Beijing hopeful, Joe McAlister, who
has his sights set on a place in the marathon made a late move to take
second in 25:15, the same time he posted in winning in 2006.
Omagh Harrier Stephen Duncan set himself up
as hot favourite for next month’s NI Junior title with a fine third
another three seconds back.
Fourth place went to James McIlroy who was
the only one able to respond to Turnbull when he started to move away just
after halfway. However he too suffered on the long hill in penultimate
hill and was overhauled by McAlister and Duncan on the run to the line.
Nevertheless McIlroy, a Commonwealth Games
finalist over 800m, could be lining up against Turnbull in China after
recently making the decision to move up to 1500 metres.
Certainly a two minute improvement over his
2006 time augurs well for his prospects over the longer distance.
It would be the second Olympics for the Larne
man who is now based in London after representing Britain in Sydney almost
eight years ago.
The
women’s course record also tumbled with Maria McCambridge taking whopping
22 seconds off Jill Shannon’s year old mark with a time of 28:28.
Maria McCambridge was a class
apart in the women's race (Photo: Declan Roughan)
The Dubliner was a late replacement for Sonia
O’Sullivan in the 5000 metres at the Athens Games in 2004 but may have to
move up to marathon to fulfil hopes of a second appearance in the Olympic
arena.
McCambridge had 96 seconds to spare over the
improving Louise McClean with the ever-consistent Anne Paul taking third
in 31:08.
Over 500 runners completed the course and
with a similar number of walkers in action the race lived up to it’s
billing of the best road race in Ireland over the holiday period.
Results
Greencastle “5” Miles Road Race
1 G
Turnbull (St. Malachy’s) 24:21 (rec), 2 J McAlister (St.M) 25:15, 3 S
Duncan (Omagh Hrs) 25:18, 4 J McIlroy (Abbey) 25:43, 5 P Cassidy
(Glaslough) 26:22, 6 J Downes (Armagh) (M40) 26:23, 7 G Crossan
(Letterkenny) (M35) 26:38, 8 S Taylor (Abbey) 26:53, 9 R Turkington
(Armagh) 27:23, 10 N Collins (Omagh Hrs) (M20) 27:24, 16 M Fitzpatrick (NBH)
(M35) 28:12, 69 I Speers (Sperrin) (M55) 33:52, 97 J Ward (Armagh) (M50)
34:55
Ladies: 1 M McCambridge (DSD) (F35) 28:28 (rec), 2 L McClean (NBH) (F35)
30:04, 3 A Paul (City of Derry) (F45) 31:08, 4 G Ganiel (Abbey) 32:03,
5 C
McCourt (NBH) 32:18, 6 S McAleer (U/A) 32:31; 8 H Crossan (Inishowen)
(F40) 32:52, 23 M Mackin (Dromore) (F50) 38:13.
15 December 2007
DUNCAN TAKES
NORTHWEST TITLE
A perfectly executed race plan saw Stephen Duncan take
victory in the final domestic cross-country fixture of the year when he
romped home 18 seconds clear of the field in the Northwest Cross-Country
Championships at Gransha.
More
9 December 2007
MURRAY: SECOND IRISHMAN HOME IN EUROPEANS
Gary
Murray turned in an excellent performance to finish second of the Irish
senior men at the 14th European Cross-Country Championships at
Toro in Spain.
Highlights of the day were an historic seventh victory for
Ukraine’s Sergey Lebid and a home win for Marta Domínguez.
Gary Murray and Joe McAlister relax after
their efforts in Toro
For Ireland it was a day of solid, if not spectacular
performances, with five top ten finishes but no individual or team medals.
Lebid adopted his usual tactics of a long sprint for home
to seal a convincing win over Sweden’s Musafa Mohamed and Rui Silva of
Portugal.
Behind Lebid, Mullingar man Martin Fagan had his best run
ever at this level to finish seventh in a top class field of the
continent’s top distance runners.
Ulster’s two representatives in the race both competed
well. Gary Murray missed the break early on but battled well to come
through to 26th position after missing the break early on.
Waterside
Half-Marathon champion Joe McAlister looked back to his best over the
country with a battling 30th place just seven seconds back of
Murray.
However, if there had been award for bravery it would
surely have gone to Fionnuala Britton in the senior women’s race.
David McCarthy leads early in the Junior
Men's Race (Photo: Richard McCarthy)
The sight of the frail Wicklow girl battling into the wind
on the last lap to hold on to seventh place would have been an inspiration
to any young athlete in terms of guts and determination.
Up front Marta Dominguez had the home crowd in raptures
with a spectacular finish to snatch gold ahead of France’s Julie Coulaud
and her compatriot Rosa Morato.
Ireland’s best hope of a medal was in the U23 men’s race.
And led by Meathman Andrew Ledwith, the team looked to be on the way to a
podium placing for most of their race.
However on the last lap, when the going got tough the Irish
did not get going and slipped three places to sixth in the final team
classifications.
Similarly, Ledwith went out into the country for the last
time in third place but when he came back into vision he had slipped back
to tenth as the fast finishing Europeans stole the spoils.
David McCarthy, nephew of local veteran athlete Declan
McCarthy, was the best of the Irish in the Junior men’s race with a ninth
place finish.
Ballymena & Antrim’s Eimear Black, the third of the three
Ulster athletes in action, ran well to finish fourth of the Irish in the
Junior women’s race.
Meanwhile Gareth Turnbull was the winner of the Joe Seeley
10K at Ormeau Park coming home in 31 minutes 12 seconds.
Turnbull had turned down selection for European cross
country championships finished 20 seconds ahead of English visitor Julian
Moorhouse who pipped Willowfield’s Brian Campbell for second.
Gregory Roberts, in eighth with a time of 32:29, was the
leading northwest finisher.
Kerry Harty had a comfortable victory in the women’s race
in 35:33 with Mary-Margaret Meade and Suzanne McCormick occupying the
minor podium positions.
2 December 2007
TOP
MILER FOR GREENCASTLE “5”
Race
organiser Oliver McCullagh has confirmed that top Irish miler Gareth
Turnbull is a certain starter for the 22nd Greencastle “5”
Miles on St. Stephen’s Day.
This time last year
Turnbull heard that he had been cleared of a doping charge and was
subsequently awarded the costs of his defence against the action brought
by the Irish Sports Council.
The St. Malachy’s athlete
won the race in 2005 when he turned in a masterclass of distance running
to come home a clear winner in a record 24 minutes 24 seconds.
Gareth Turnbull
Generously the
Loughborough graduate has offered to hand back to charity the bonus of
£250 offered by an anonymous sponsor if he breaks his own course record.
Also committed for the
men’s race is last year’s winner Joe McAlister and British Olympian James
McIlroy from Larne.
McCullagh is also busy
trying to boost the women’s field. Jill Shannon who took the honours 12
months ago is still sidelined with injury. In her likely absence an
invitation has been sent to Maria McCambridge.
Married to Letterkenny man
Gary Crossan, the Dubliner has been a top notch international for more
than a decade representing Ireland at World Championships and Olympics.
Entries are now being
accepted for the race. Further information is available on
www.greencastle5.com
2 December 2007
BELFAST
DATE MAKES PULSE RACE FOR LOCAL ATHLETES
Derval O'Rourke shows the style that has made her world
champion.
The
Northwest’s track and field exponents received a timely boost this week in
the midst of the winter gloom with the news that the Irish Championships
will go ahead again at the Odyssey in
Belfast on January
26/27.
World indoor champion Derval O’Rourke was in
Belfast when
Athletics Northern Ireland and the Athletic Association of Ireland
announced details of the event which has been made possible by the
generous assistance of title sponsor Woodie’s DIY and funding partners
Belfast City Council and Sport Northern Ireland.
Although not making the final of the 100 metres Hurdles at the World
Championships in
Osaka, O’Rourke is not despondent about her
performances in 2007.
“I
had a real good think about my season in September and what people don’t
realize is that it was my second best year ever in that I was able to run
the A standard (for the Olympics) on two occasions – it was just that 2006
was so good was the problem,” explained the Irish record holder.
This year O’Rourke decided to miss the Indoors to concentrate on the
summer season but, by her own admission, opened her outdoor campaign
sluggishly taking several races to literally get up to speed.
Now
injury-free, that is set to change in 2008 with a full programme planned
for the Indoors. The defence of her World title in
Valencia is firmly
at the top of her winter agenda and the Leevale athlete sees the Odyssey
fixture as being a very important preparation for her date in Spain.
“It
will be my first race and it’s a venue I always enjoy. Two years ago I
was really pleased to win here and set an Irish record. So it was really
positive for me and I was able to go on and win the World title”.
However, it is the Olympics later in the year that occupies the Leevale
athlete most. O’Rourke believes that gaining a place in the final would
represent success for her.
“It’s not that the times at the top end are getting faster because I
think
Beijing will be won in 12.4 whereas at the last
Olympics it was 12.3.
“It’s just that there are about 16 girls who are capable of making the
final and to even get out of the first round heat it’s going to take
faster that 13 seconds. That means that you’re going to have to run the A
Standard right from the start,” said O’Rourke.
Also signed up for the event are top Irish middle-distance runners Liam
Reale and David Campbell. Reale made the final of the 1500 metres at the
European Championships in 2006 while
Campbell is
national 800/1500m champion.
Unfortunately local followers of the indoor sport will not be able to see
sprinter Jason Smyth in action. His coach Stephen Maguire confirmed that
his charge will not be competing in
Belfast and will
instead be concentrating on his training for the Beijing Paralympics where
he is tipped to lift two gold medals.
It will be the fifth time that the Irish championships have been held in
the Odyssey and upwards of 1000 competitors are expected.
In
the past spectators have seen top class athletes from all over the world
in action including
Slovakia’s Roman Sebrle who was here last year
and went on add the World title to his Olympic and European crowns in
Osaka last September.
