Gillick back in mix and fancied to win again

JUST when he found himself resigned to skipping the indoor season altogether, European indoor 400m champion David Gillick finds himself back in the mix as favourite to retain his title in Birmingham this weekend.

The 23-year-old Dubliner who left the red hot race favourite David Canal for dead in the rush for the line in an enthralling final in Madrid two years ago, was amazed at his own form at Loughborough, where he now trains with a group of top class 400m runners under legendary coach Nick Dakin.

He went to Stuttgart for the planned race that would alter all of his plans. He was still in the middle of intensive training and had had a hard hill session two days earlier when he went to the line.

Not alone did he win the race with the utmost of ease, he posted the fastest time in the world this year and a new Irish record at 45.91 secs to lead Germany’s Bastian Swillims (45.99 secs) — whom he beat that day — Robert Tobin (46.07 secs) of Great Britain and Johan Wissman (46.22 secs) from Sweden into today’s heats.

“I certainly did not expect a world’s best,” he said. “My focus was on this year’s world championships in Osaka and achieving the standard for next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing.”

He will be our only 400m representative this time around with David McCarthy, a finalist in the world indoor championships at this venue a few years ago, moving up to 800m.

The Co Kildare man has all the ingredients needed except experience. He has been picking that up along the way with a couple of races in Europe before going to the AAA championships in Sheffield a couple of weeks ago to break 1:50 for the first time.

Of significance is the return to form of Gareth Turnbull, who put all his problems with the federation trackside to record an impressive double at the national championships in The Odyssey a couple of weeks ago.

The bustling Belfast man, who oozes strength, will relish his return to championship running in Birmingham where he will rejoin James Nolan, a silver medallist in Ghent in 2000, in the 1,500m line-up.

The Ferbane man is ranked seventh over 1,500m on the European lists with a best of 3:41.03. He and Gareth Turnbull are credited with the two fastest miles in Europe this year at 3:58.85 and 3:58.88, respectively. Both are capable of making the final here with Sergio Gallardo and Arturo Casado of Spain and Mounir Yemmouni of France hotly tipped for the medals.

Liam Reale from Kilmallock had a remarkable 2006, improving greatly to make the final of the 1,500m at the European outdoor championships in Gothenburg and coming away with a huge personal best.

All the indications are that he can reproduce that in Birmingham and go close to the medals.

Paul Hession competed over 200m at the European championships in Madrid. That event has been dropped from the programme. The Athenry man will agree with the decision. The athletes in the inner lanes were at a huge disadvantage.

This season he dropped back to 60m to improve his early speed but finds himself national champion over the distance and national record holder at 6.63 secs which places him midway up the entry list.

Anna Boyle, also on an upward curve, has been competitive enough this season to suggest a place in the women’s 60m final is possible.

Sean Cahill, her coach, has always insisted Deirdre Ryan will be a medal prospect once she comes to grips with her early attempts.

The woman who could surprise everyone is Sligo’s Mary Cullen, who returns to Europe on the back of some spectacular runs in the USA. She was coming off 5,000m training when she won the 1,500m title at the national championships in 4:17.50 last year.

She is a very experienced indoor runner. She has the fastest mile time in Europe (4:32.29) from her win in New York in January, and is ranked seventh over 3,000m (8:53.81) from Boston.