Gillick award boost

DAVID GILLICK received a welcome boost following his World Indoor Championships nightmare as he was named Europe’s Male Athlete for February.

The 26-year-old Dubliner returned to his training base at Loughborough on Monday devastated following his 400m final disqualification in Doha, where the IAAF’s Jury of Appeal ruled he caused the clash that probably cost both him and favourite, Jamaal Jackson, places on the podium.

Gillick, a former two-time European indoor 400m champion, secured the award for his sensational seasonal indoor debut at the UK Grand Prix in Birmingham where he demolished a star-studded field and equalled the national record he set (45.52) when retaining his European title at the same venue in 2007.