Confident Costello bids to join sub-four-minute club

COLIN COSTELLO, the newly crowned European junior 1,500m champion, will chase Ray Flynn’s junior mile record in the Morton Mile at the Dublin International in Santry on Saturday.

In the process he could become Ireland's 40th sub four minute miler. The brilliant young Meathman joined the history makers on Sunday when he led Danny Darcy to a memorable Irish 1-2 in the European Junior Championships at Kaunas, Lithuania

Only Frank O'Mara and Paul Donovan had managed such a finish in the final of the 3,000m at the inaugural world indoor championships in Indianapolis in 1987.

Costello, an Irish Examiner Junior Sports Star this year, was watched by his parents as he edged clear of Darcy to claim the gold medal. Paul O'Callaghan (3,000m) and Mark Carroll (5,000m) were the only other Irish juniors to win gold at this level.

"It was like a Leinster championship," the new European champion insisted yesterday. "It was just unbelievable. It was never going to be a formality but I knew I was in very good shape going out to Lithuania.

"It was just going to be a matter of holding my nerve."

The last time Costello and Darcy lined up together was in the Kit Kat Irish schools championship in Tullamore last year when Costello retained his title.

They returned home with their medals on Monday evening and then, on Tuesday morning, he was back at his alma mater Gormanston College helping out with a kids' summer camp.

"There was no bother on me. I was not a bit tired," he said. "Of course the kids were delighted. They had seen me in the papers so I was a bit of a celebrity."

He has already refocused on the Morton Mile.

"Ray Flynn's national junior record is at 4:02.6 so I will go after that," he said. "Of course the conditions will have to be right, the weather and the pace, and then if I get that close maybe a sub-4 would be a possibility."

Mark Christie from Mullingar is another of the young guns chasing big things.

He established himself among the serious 1,500m runners on his first attempt at the distance and if he builds on that, he too will be chipping at the four minutes.

The race will have special significance for the holder, James Nolan, who will be aiming to convince the Irish selectors of his fitness for next week's world championships after missing the national championships on Sunday with an Achilles problem.