Athletics: Ciarán Ó Lionáird aiming for sub-four-minute mile
The Leevale man is looking forward to getting a true test of his fitness after what he considers a successful altitude training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona in January.
He ran the anchor 1600m leg for the Irish distance medley relay team that finished second to the USA in a new world record.
A week later he contested the mile at the New Balance Indoor Games Grand Prix in Boston but dropped out a little after halfway.
“It’s been mixed,” said Ó Lionáird of his two races since the training camp.
“I had to chase hard to close a gap in the relay and then I just felt awful in Boston. I probably shouldn’t have raced that one but I’m looking forward to racing the mile in Athlone to get a proper look at what shape I’m in.”
Ó Lionáird is happy with his fitness and his Oregon Track Club training partner, Ben Blankenship, will be his main rival in Athlone this evening. Blankenship has run 8:15 for 2 miles and 3:53 since his return from the camp and it looks like being a two-way battle between the training partners for the bragging rights.
Donore Harriers’ John Travers, Denmark’s Andreas Bueno and Mark Nouws are the other main contenders.
The star of the show looks set to be Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim in the men’s high jump. Barshim has already cleared 2.40m this season – just 5cm short of the world record.
Known as “the elastic man,” he will be sure to entertain an expected sellout. Other stars on the billing include US sprinters Tianna Madison, Carmelita Jeter and Jamaican sprint star Asafa Powell.
Powell, the former men’s 100m record holder, was suspended for 18 months over doping chargesin April 2014 but the ban was lifted three months later.
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