City Sports pivotal for Sonia

Brendan Mooney

The Olympic silver medallist and former multi world and European champion, was at Cork City Hall yesterday morning when Lord Mayor Sean Martin hosted a breakfast to launch this year's event, which will feature two Olympic champions, double gold medallist Kelly Holmes and the world and Olympic long jump champion, Dwight Phillips.

They are just two of some 200 athletes who will compete in this year's high-profile event which takes on a more global look to coincide of the European Capital of Culture programme. The gathering at City Hall included Brigadier General Pat Nash, O/C 1 Southern Brigade, who represented the links between the Army, the City Sports Committee and UCC, which goes back to the foundation of the meet more than half a century ago. Also a guest of honour was Kieran Dowd, who, during an illustrious term in charge of the sports programme at UCC, also served as president of the City Sports. Dowd was the man directly responsible for bringing some of the world's biggest names to the Mardyke.

While Kelly Holmes, the world sports woman of the year, will be the star attraction on July 2, the meet has been built around Sonia for several years now. As a 17-year-old in 1987, she set an Irish junior record for 3,000m then the limit of women's distance races on the track and those strung out behind her included Liz McColgan, who became world champion at 10,000m.

She will plan her season after her 3,000m there and that means deciding whether or not to go to the world championships in Helsinki a month later.

"I might just do a time trial in training or something beforehand, but Cork is definitely the magic marker this year," she said. "I will draw a line in the sand

after that. Apart from BUPA Cork City Sports, the only meeting I have planned is the national championships. I am going to run the 5,000m there and a combination of Cork and the national championships will give me an idea if Helsinki is an option. "I don't want to make too many plans and then have to scupper them later on," she said. After the London Marathon she is now back to normal training but she has a 5k road race in Vienna on June 12 Organising Committee Chairman Dick Hodgins, said they were overwhelmed with the response to this year's meet. Apart from the Olympic champions they have the double Olympic silver medallist Paul Bitok in the men's 3,000m, which will also feature Mark Carroll.

However, one of their priorities was to provide top international competition for Irish athletes.

"Obviously, we will have the likes of David Gillick, the new European indoor 400m champion, and Paul McKee, bronze medallist at the world indoor championships, against the former world indoor champion, Daniel Caines, but we are delighted to be able to accommodate other Irish athletes who might like to avail of this type of competition," he said.

Gary Ryan, who has set national records at The Mardyke, returns for what may be his last fling.

"I always run well at The Mardyke," the two-time winner of The American Trophy at the meet and eight times national champion said.

"I thought maybe last year would have been my last but I found myself motivated again this year. I have been doing some of my best times in training and I am looking forward to the meet."

Ireland's newest sprinting sensation, Ailish McSweeney (Leevale) was also at the launch Bronagh Twomey, Marketing Manager of BUPA Ireland, who have been involved as major sponsors for the past five years, paid tribute to the organising committee.