Hession: Gillick will be in the medals in Berlin
Gillick smashed his own Irish 400m record in Madrid earlier this month, dipping beneath the significant 45-second barrier with a time of 44.77 that has carried him up to joint fourth ranking this season.
The Dubliner subsequently broke the 45-second barrier for the second time in six days in Rome and he will be well aware that David Neville won bronze at the Olympics last year with a time of 44.80.
Hession said yesterday that the race for third place in the 400m was wide open and that “people should keep an eye on David”. Hession too has grand plans for the championships in Germany.
The Galway man was Ireland’s standout performer on the track in Beijing last year when coming close to a place in the final of the men’s 200m and he is setting his sights on going one better this time around.
“If anything, it is going to be harder because there are four Americans in it this year. Tyson Gay is defending champion, plus three other Americans. This is the strongest ever year for 200. You have young lads running 20.zeroes.
“I’m as confident as last year, definitely, but I do think it is going to take another 20.2.” I didn’t think I would be saying that the year after the Olympics but I do think it will take that, depending on conditions.”
Hession, who will again run the 100m at the national championships next week, set his Irish 200m record of 20.3 this very week two years ago in Dublin but he isn’t getting worked up about lowering it again.
“My greatest ever run wasn’t the national record. I would barely put it in the top three because it was done in Santry on my own. I was in the mix of a group of athletes who were running away from me and I stayed strong and, if that happened at the national championships, maybe I wouldn’t have run as quick. So, I haven’t run as fast since but I think I have run better.”
Hession has impressed in recent months with wins in Cork, Bydgoszcz and Ostrava, as well as the ‘B’ race in Lausanne and he will continue his build-up to Berlin this weekend at the Aviva Grand Prix in London.
“It’s a good race. It will be my fourth time racing in London. I have run poorly and run well there but last year I ran very well and came third. I was lucky enough to get a good lane and if that works out again I think I can be competitive again.”
Meanwhile Ciara Mageean of City of Lisburn AC has produced an exceptional record-breaking performance to win gold in the 1500m in 4.15.46 at the European Youth Olympics in Finland yesterday.
Her time is a new Irish youth record and a new Irish Junior Record and a new Championship best performance. This record was previously held by Romania’s Gabriela Szabo. One of Magaeen’s heroes Sonia O’Sullivan, who is part of the management team, was track side to cheer her to victory and to see the record of one of her greatest rivals tumble.
In the typical bold running style of Magaeen, she took the race out from the start with Britain’s Lauren Proctor. With a lap to go the seventeen year old make a broke and was a clear winner by 30 metres, with Doaga of Romania coming second in 4.18.44. Speaking of the victory Mageean said “I went out there to try my best, I gave it everything, I am really tired now but I am delighted to have won the race.”
Team Manager John McGrath said “We are thrilled with Ciara’s performance; the rest of the team on the track today also had a remarkable day.”
Christine McMahon of Ballymena and Antrim AC set a new Irish youth record of 59.78 in the 400m hurdles and is the second fastest qualifier going into the final. Killian Barry of Crusaders AC has also made it into the final of the hammer with a throw of 65.27 metres. Lorcan O’Cathian of Roscommon AC won his heat in 22.12 and qualifies for the semi-final. Paul Scanlan of Leevale AC finished seventh in the 400m final in 49.70. Adam Ingram of Lagan Valley AC set a personal best of 1.53.08 in the semi-finals of the 800m. Ingram was unlucky not to make it into the finals as he would have won the other semi-final.
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