Hession has Edward in his sights
The Athenry man, who set the Irish record at 20.30 in Santry in 2007 and had a best of 20.46 last year, showed signs of his best form with a 20.65 run in the European Team Championships, but he hopes, given the right conditions, he can make a major improvement at the CIT Track today.
With the world silver medallist and his old sparring partner Brendan Christian (Antigua & Barbuda) in the field, Hession expects the 200m to be a fast one. Christian stopped Hession’s winning streak of doubles dead two years ago when he flew in to win the 100m and then walked away before the Irishman had a chance for revenge in the 200m.
But last year he went desperately close to doing that when the pair dead-heated in a ferocious finish to the 200m into a galeforce wind. Today the pair compete in both sprints again but the addition of Alonso Edward adds a new dimension to the contest and neither Rondel Sorrillo (Trinidad & Tobago) nor Luke Fagan (Great Britain), a former European junior silver medallist, can be discounted.
“It’s a very good field,” Hession insisted, admitting Alonso Edward is bound to attract a lot of attention. “But there are five or six guys in there who are capable of running 20.5 if the conditions are right and I’m definitely in that sort of shape. Obviously conditions will come into play, but if the weather is right and the wind is OK I can run an (Olympic) A standard.
“As regards the World Championships, I don’t run my heats until September 2, five weeks later than last season. Hopefully, I will get it just right. At the moment the plan is to run in Brussels and in Terry McHugh’s meet in Lucerne. Hopefully I’ll run some nice times by the end of July and then I’ll take a bit of a rest and build up to Korea.”
There was disappointing news for racewalker Robert Heffernan who has had to withdraw from today’s featured 3,000m mixed walk on medical advice. He pulled up in last weekend’s Grand Prix in Dublin after just six kilometers with a hamstring problem. “It’s a huge disappointment for me,” said Heffernan, “especially on account of the lads coming over. But I have to look at the bigger picture and the World Championships in Daegu. If I was to miss another week’s training it would interfere with all my preparations. I need every day from here on.”
Fans will have an opportunity to watch world silver medallist Olive Loughnane in action in what should be a thrilling race. She won her silver medal at the world championships in Berlin two years ago and she had a big boost in advance of Daegu with another silver medal in the Grand Prix in Dublin last Sunday.
The field includes former world record holder over 10k and 20k and Olympic and world championship (3) silver medallist, Francisco ‘Paco’ Javier Fernandez from Spain, Jakub Jelonek (Poland) and Haten Ghoula (Tunisia).
Dick Hodgins and his committee have put another exceptional programme together for Ireland’s only international track and field meet despite financial constraints and an unbelievable lack of support from the “home” athletes and, indeed, Athletics Ireland, who have a number of athletes competing abroad this weekend.
Paul Hession, a prolific winner in Cork, will take on the World Championships silver medallist, Alonso Edward (Bahamas), who was second to Usain Bolt in Berlin. Add in Antigua’s Brendan Christian who dead-heated with him last year, Michael Mathieu, who won a silver medal with the Bahamas relay team in the Beijing Olympics, Rondel Sorrillo (Trinidad and Tobago), former European junior silver medallist, Luke Fagan (Britain) and Mata Lukas (Australia) and it’s a quality field.
This should be a thriller between former world junior champion Renny Quow (Trinidad and Tobago), who was third in the World Championships in 2009 and Michael Mathieu, who won a silver medal with the Bahamas 4 x 400m relay team at the Beijing Olympics.
Agent Paul Doyle will be represented by either Jordan Boase (USA) or Tabarie Henry (Virgin Islands) while Ireland’s David McCarthy (Le Cheile), who made it to the 800m semi-final at last year’s European championships, reverts to his best event in search of another win in Cork. Niall Tuohy (Ferrybank) is another dropping back to 400m.
Olympic silver medallist, Nick Willis (New Zealand), heads a star-studded field for what could be the race of the day. There are a number of Americans in the field, including John Bolus and a 3:54 miler college athlete, Ben Blankenship, as well as the Australian champion James Kaan, some of the top British runners and Ciaran Ó Lionaird (Leevale), who comes off an exciting US collegiate career to join another member of the Irish U23 European gold medal cross-country team, John Coghlan.
THE women’s 1,500m could be equally exciting. It marks the return of Mary Cullen (North Sligo) to Cork where she will take on a big international field that will include fellow Irish internationals Deirdre Byrne, Orla Drumm and Sara Treacy, who won the national U23 title last weekend. Hannah England (Britain) will be one of the favourites.
Kelly Proper is always popular with fans on Cork City Sports day and she will again compete in both the 200m and her preferred long jump, where she will join the 2005 world champion, Tianna Madison, who is also a world-class sprinter, and Shara Proctor, who now competes for Britain and had a new best of 6.81 this year.
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