Late dash earns Chamney Beijing pay-off

THOMAS CHAMNEY was rewarded for a last minute dash from Heusden-Zolder to Dublin to compete in the Woodies DIY National Championships yesterday when he was named on the Irish team for Beijing.

Last night the Olympic Council of Ireland agreed to include him, Michelle Carey (400m hurdles) and Tullamore woman Pauline Curley (marathon) in the Olympics team.

Chamney, who had posted a B standard in an 800m race in Lignani a week earlier when he ran 1:46.66 — 0.66 of a second outside the A standard — was told by High Performance to get back to Dublin for the championships. And yesterday the 24-year-old Clonmel man, who runs in the colours of Crusaders AC, reclaimed the 800m title from David Campbell in a flying finish to a tactical race that produced an outcome beyond all his expectations. He won in 1:50.73 from Campbell, 1:51.07 but, after he crossed the line he could only speculate as to what might lie ahead.