Olympic spot secured, O’Dwyer jumps for joy

HIGH jump sensation Adrian O’Dwyer, was jumping for Olympic qualification in Algiers last week but on Saturday he will be jumping for joy at The Mardyke in Cork where he will again treat fans to the type of performance that saw him clear 2.30m and claim his place in Athens.

His effort last week in Algiers in between appearances in Iceland on Sunday and Dublin on Friday night has earned him star billing for the BUPA Cork City Sports.

Last year he captivated his audience until the very end of the meet, clearing 2.21m to win the competition.

"He certainly pleased them and kept them entertained throughout the competition," Meet Organiser Dick Hodgins recalled. "But we have a serious athlete here and his performance in Algiers would have won him a medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney.

"As with all technical events, the conditions on the day are particularly important so we are naturally hoping for good weather.

"We have a good field, to provide Adrian with good competition. Svatoslav Ton from the Czech Republic has jumped 2.33m in the last couple of weeks and we also have a very good Russian competing in Pavel Formenko who jumped 2.32m last year."

Dick Hodgins is amazed at the interest which the pole vault has generated.

"We had a call from the German Federation last week requesting us to include five of their pole vaulters. They have eight world class vaulters at the moment and three of those will be involved elsewhere, including the Golden Gala in Rome on Friday night.

"We accepted three and they will add an extra dimension to the competition. We have two very good Russians, three from Britain and Juri Rovan from Slovenia.

"It appears a lot of pole vaulters want to come to Cork, possibly because we have had some of the world's leading competitors here in recent years. Last year, Toby Stevenson won the competition so maybe they feel there is something special about Cork."

A lot of athletes know there is something special about The Mardyke; Gary Ryan who has run some of his fastest times there.

He is currently on tour in pursuit of his Olympic qualifying standard and before leaving for a meeting in Italy tonight he was in contact with the meet organisers in Cork to confirm his place.

"We have quite a selection of sprinters lined up," Hodgins said. "Paul Brizzel, who already has his qualifying standard for Athens, will be back and he will be joined by Paul Hession, Gary Ryan and Jer O'Donoghue."

Catherine Murphy and Donna Frazer have been added to the women's 400m and they are awaiting news from Karen Shinkins, still chasing the Olympic standard.

The OCI extended the deadline for athletes to July 3 to take in the BUPA Cork City Sports.