Lombard seeking a sponsor to finance Olympics build-up
The astute Corkman, who has astounded the athletic world with two impressive performances this year the first a record-breaking 27:33.54 10,000m run in Stanford, followed by third in the BUPA Manchester Run when he finished ahead of world marathon record-holder Paul Tergat.
When he lines up for the final of the 10,000m in Athens on August 20 he is adamant that he will not be there to make up the numbers.
Along with coach Joe Doonan, he has mapped the route to Athens meticulously. His next big appearance will be in the international meeting in Gateshead on June 27 and he has been selected on the Irish team for the European Cup in Iceland on June 19/20.
Gateshead, however, offers him an opportunity to explore the 3,000m in advance of his biggest pre-Olympic assignment, the 5,000m at the Golden Gala in Rome on July 2 when he will line up alongside world record- holder Kenenisa Bekele, who set a new world record at 10,000m at 26:20.31 in Ostrava during the week.
The likes of Bekele, Tergat and Craig Mottram are highly paid professional athletes but Lombard operates on a comparative shoe string. While they can command huge appearance money, he does not even have a shoe contract.
He has a Sports Council grant but that has long been spent on trips to altitude, warm weather training and the necessary meets. He has put the money to good use as his results testify but he needs his coach with him at altitude and needs Liam O'Reilly to keep him in shape in the pre-Olympic camp in Italy.
"I am hoping somebody will be able to help out. I don't want to become a millionaire or anything. I won't be putting the money in my pocket," he said.
"I just want to make ends meet. It would be nice to have a sponsor."
The 1992 Olympian, Noel Berkeley, is helping to find a sponsor for a man he feels will finish in the top 10 in Athens.
"If he was to finish sixth in the Olympics just imagine the achievement that would be all the meet organisers would want him," he said.
"Unfortunately it is now he needs the money and there must be somebody out there who will help finance his Olympic bid."
Mark Christie is set for an assault on John Treacy's national junior 5,000m record at the BUPA Cork City Sports on July 3.
The Mullingar man a DCU scholarship student broke the old 3,000m record with an 8:04.48 run at a recent league meet in Santry and is set on Treacy's 5,000m record of 14:04.6 from June 1975.
Sonia O'Sullivan will be the star attraction at The Mardyke on July 3 when she will run her only 5,000m between now and the Olympic Games.
She goes in the 1,500m this weekend at the British Milers Club meet in Watford. Last year she ran 4:05.94 there and 4:27.79 for the mile.
Rob Daly has been named at 400m and Ciaran O'Connell, who ran a smart 1:49 last weekend, gets the 800m berth with Daniel Caulfield nominated at 1,500m on the Irish men's team for the European Cup in Iceland on June 19/20.
The men's sprints have not been filled and the 4x100m relay squad is also to be finalised but the selectors are hoping to have Tomas Coman and David Gillic back for the 4x400 relay.
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