Marathon schedule as O’Rourke targets medal
With the first round heats of the 60m hurdles scheduled for 8.20am (Irish time), the semi-finals at 2.45 pm and the final at 5.40pm, the former world indoor champion is set for a long day.
It was something that concerned O’Rourke’s coach, Sean Cahill, once it emerged the heats, semi-finals and final of the 60m hurdles would be held on the same day.
With the Irish quarters some half an hour away, it would have meant a round trip of an hour between races. That would have curtailed her warm down and possibly her warm up should any traffic problems arose.
Last evening Irish team manager Patsy McGonagle confirmed the hotel room had been booked and Sean Cahill said it had to be a matter of priority, pointing out she could not have spent the entire day in the stadium.
Meanwhile, this morning’s opening heats will put her in against fierce rival and big medal favourite, Carol Nytra from Germany, who was the bronze medallist behind the Cork woman in the 100m hurdles at last year’s outdoor championships in Barcelona.
Derval gets Lane six, with Nytra outside and Ama Erega (Croatia), Clelia Reuse (Switzerland), Anastasiya Solovyova (Russia) and Elisabeth Davin (Belgium) inside. With the exception of Nytra (7.92 secs) none of them have run faster than O’Rourke (8.03) this year.
Gold medal favourite, Christina Vukicevic (Norway), who has run a pb of 7.90 this year, is in heat two, but they will all meet before today is out. The first three in each heat and the four fastest losers go through to the afternoon’s semi-finals.
“With Nytra on her outside, one thing is certain, Derval is going to have to run fast,” Sean Cahill said. “Nobody will be taking it easy, but she is ready for it. She is in very good form. Three rounds in the one day will knock the edge off some of them.”
“My preparations haven’t gone as smoothly as I would have liked and I haven’t managed to complete the full indoor season, but when I have raced I felt good,” O’Rourke said. “I’ll be the only one in the field who hasn’t had plenty of races this indoor season so I’m going to have to work really hard to do well.
“The fact the majority of the field will have had a lot of races means many of them will be running fairly comfortably in the heats and semi-finals, whereas I will have to be working hard from the first race to ensure I try and make it through because I haven’t had as many races in the season as them.”
Marian Heffernan has drawn lane one in heat two of this morning’s women’s 400m, not the best draw, and with the first three in each of three heats to go through, along with the three fastest losers, she is going to have to pull out all the stops.
Brian Gregan has drawn lane five, one of the prime lanes, for his heat of the men’s 400m and with Thomas Schneider (Germany), a 46.19 performer on the outside and all of those inside him on slower times, he has a good chance of making the semi-finals although only the first two and two fastest go through from each of the five heats.
Dan Mulhare has drawn a tough heat for his European indoor championships debut, while Letterkenny teenager Darren McBrearty, also has a tough assignment in heat one of the Men’s 800m with just two from each heat and the two fastest losers to go through.
Women’s 60m Hurdles Heats, Derval O’Rourke.
Women’s 400m Heats: Marian Heffernan.
Men’s 400m Heats: Brian Gregan.
Men’s 3,000m Heats: Dan Mulhare.
Women’s 60m Hurdles semi-finals.
Men’s 800m Heats: Darren McBrearty.
Women’s 400m semi-finals.
Men’s 400m semi-finals.
Women’s 60m Hurdles Final.
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