Gillick sets Irish 400m record

ATHLETICS:Now that's more like it. A week after a puzzlingly slow performance, David Gillick has run a sensational Irish record over 400 metres, winning the European Premium meeting in Geneva in 45.23 seconds. It's the fastest time in Europe this year and edges Gillick ever closer to the 45-second barrier.

Last Sunday, in Glasgow, Gillick could manage only 46.33, finishing sixth, in what was his first 400 metres since he won the European Indoor title in March.

That blow-out, however, was clearly what Gillick needed, as he ran over a second quicker this time, and there is every reason to believe he can be quicker as the season progresses.

His 45.23 improved the Irish record of 45.58, which Belfast athlete Paul McKee had run to win the national title in Santry back in 2002.

Gillick had, in fact, run inside that time with the 45.52 he produced to claim the European indoor gold in Birmingham, but that couldn't be ratified for outdoor records.

Gillick also managed to beat two of Britain's top 400-metre runners in Geneva, Andrew Steele taking second in 45.31, and Martin Rooney, a training partner of Gillick at Loughborough University, third in 46.02.

The 45.23 is once again inside the 45.55 A standard for the World Championships in Osaka in August and next year's Beijing Olympics.

It's also the third Irish record to be set in recent weeks, despite the season still being in the early stages, following Paul Hession's 100-metre mark of 10.28 last Sunday and Alistair Cragg's 27:39.55 over 10,000 metres at the end of April.

Among the other athletes looking to break Irish records in the coming weeks is Joanne Cuddihy, who won a low-key 200 metres at the Harry Jerome International in Vancouver in 23.80 and will next be eyeing Karen Shinkins's 400-metre mark of 51.07.

Elsewhere, several Irish athletes were in action at the British Milers' Club meeting in Manchester, the highlights being David Campbell's win over 1,500 metres in 3:42.44, Charlotte Ffrench O'Carroll taking a B race in 4:25.35, and Gary Murray and Mark Christie clocking 13:50.27 and 13:52.05 to take second and third over 5,000 metres.