Food poisoning shock for Irish
Overnight Martin Fagan, who came back from Providence College to lead the men’s team, and the most experienced member of the women’s team, Rosemary Ryan, were ruled out.
Ryan, a former national senior champion, was never going to make it to the line, according to the newly appointed team manager, Anne Keenan-Buckley, who had some exciting tussles with the Limerick athlete in the past.
“Martin (Fagan) was hoping right up to the start of the event that he might make it, but the medical advice was that he should not run.”
Another Mullingar man, David Burke, who coaches Fagan and Mark Christie, was also taken ill overnight.
“We think it maybe something they ate last night,” the team manager said. “But then there were others at their table eating the same food and they were all right. It’s just one of those things.”
Mark Christie was one of those who survived, but he was bitterly disappointed with his performance in the U-23 men’s race after finishing 19th. It was an old rival, Joe Sweeney (DSD), who led the Irish team home in 13th place.
Victory went to Barnabas Bene of Hungary, junior champion for the past two years, who beat Dusko Markesevic (Serbia) and Daniele Meucci (Italy) by two seconds.
Christie was up with the pace for most of the race before fading.
“I know I was up there but I just did not feel right today,” he said. “I struggled every inch of the way. My legs felt wobbly and I was always fighting to hold my position. I know I am in better shape than that.”
Joe Sweeney, on the other hand, did all the right things. He stayed up with the pace in 13th position with Meathman Andrew Ledwith just a couple of places behind him.
Ledwith, who was injured for seven months this year and only returned to competitive running to help Iona College to the bronze medals in the NCAA championships in Indiana, eventually finished 24th.
With Mick Clohissey (Raheny Shamrock) finishing 46th, Ireland finished fourth in the team contest, just eight points behind Poland who won the bronze medals.
“The good thing is that next year all of this team will be eligible for the U-23 race again,” Joe Sweeney pointed out. “But I have to take my hat off to Mark Christie. He pushed it all the way from the front. It should have been his championship this year but it just did not turn out that way.”
Mary Cullen had hoped to improve on her 11th placing in Tiblourg last year but she, too, struggled through the senior women’s race. “It was just hard from the gun, it wasn’t fun out there at all,” she said. “It was always going to be a hard race but, from the way I ran in the Manchester Road Race I felt I was in shape to run with the girls, but my legs did not feel good.”
Tetyana Holovchenko (Ukraine), a finalist in the 1,500m at this year’s European track and field championships, was a surprise winner of the senior women’s title, with the pre-race favourite Olivera Jevtic (Serbia) having to settle for a fourth bronze medal.
Great Britain had the winner of the senior men’s race as Mo Farrah ended the amazing winning streak of Sergihy Lebid (Ukraine) who was seeking a seventh title and a sixth in a row.
Farah was silver medallist in the 5,000m at this year’s European championships in Gothenburg. He was seeking his first gold medal when he took on Lebid but he found himself in control of the race after the Ukrainian suffered a mid race crisis.
“I got a stitch and I had difficulty breathing,” Lebid explained after finishing 12th. “I hung on and when I recovered I finished strongly but it was too late.”
“I felt good on the last lap and when the Portuguese (Fernanda Silvo) went I decided I had to do something about it,” Farah said. “I had been watching for Lebid to make his move on the second or third lap but it did not happen.
“I have so many silver medals it is great to win gold,” Fara said.
“As a junior it was still silver and it was beginning to nag me a bit. But I have worked hard and my coach (Alan Storey) has done amazing work. When I found myself in front today I said I might as well just push now and it was as simple as that.”
Mark Kenneally led the depleted Irish team across the line in 31st position with Vinnie Mulvey 35th, Gary Murray 39th and Joe McAllister 52nd.
Roseanne Galligan showed all her old fighting spirit when she finished 12th in the junior women’s race which was one by Stephanie Twell of Great Britain, one of three athletes in the race who are advised by Paula Radcliffe.
Italy claimed their first ever individual medal in those championships when Andrea Lalli won the junior men’s race.
Schoolboy Brendan O’Neill ran the race of his life to finish 19th.
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