Be aggressive, urges Britton’s coach Jones
“I want her to be aggressive and make them hurt and when she moves I would like to see her make them suffer and spare nothing” said Jones prior to joining Britton in the Hungarian capital where snow and freezing temperatures are forecast.
“I would not be concerned about Fionnuala if those conditions prevailed. For a start I think it’s a stronger field than when she won last year but she seems aware of that and has been adjusting her preparations accordingly which makes my job that bit easier. I have seen the work Fionnuala has done and I’ve seen how much she wants to win this title again, her desire, her determination, everything that would make her more competitive. What I want from Fionnuala is a performance similar to that which won the IAAF race in Edinburgh a year ago. That for me was her best performance ever over the country. That day she was aggressive and kicked on from an early stage and was just magnificent. If she can re-produce that form she will be very hard to beat.
“She has done all the work I’ve programmed for her and she will not lose this race because of lack of strength or conditioning. I appreciate there are some really good runners in here, including an Ethiopian who declared for Belgium during the summer after competing for them in the London Olympics. When an Ethiopian enters the equation you are talking about a serious runner and Almanach Belete is very formidable. But Fionnuala will not be caught unawares. Last year she simply ground it out from the front and once she got away by a few yards had the courage to push on and make it her own. That is what I’m looking to happen again.
“It would also appear to me that Portugal have put a lot of work into preparing for this race and have one very strong challenger in Ana Dulce Felix. She has been around a bit, finishing second and third previously.”
Joe Sweeney, who finished fifth last year, heads the men’s team.
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