O'Keeffe commits to new event in Santry

ATHLETICS NEWSIRISH HAMMER record holder Eileen O'Keeffe is the first athlete to commit to next month's Morton Memorial Meeting in Dublin - a new international track and field event set for Santry on July 25th, and inspired by famous events there 50 years ago.

As well as reviving a much-needed athletics meeting for Dublin, the event will commemorate the world mile record of 3:54.5 set on the Santry track by Australia's Herb Elliot on August 6th, 1958, and also Dublin's celebrated athletics promoter Billy Morton, who later had the stadium named in his honour.

It is hoped O'Keeffe will be joined by most of Ireland's Beijing-bound athletes, along with a strong international presence. The Santry stadium was last summer the scene of her record-breaking throw of 73.21 metres, although there was some irony at yesterday's meeting launch at Dublin's Mansion House as O'Keeffe admitted she is struggling to find a proper training venue, as Santry is currently out of bounds.

"I can't use the competition circle in Santry, and the field area is being used by a soccer team, Sporting Fingal," she explained, all the more annoying given she lives directly across the road. "They did put up a new throwing area just beside the stadium, which they've been promising for years, but ended up putting down the wrong throwing surface. I used that once and it flared up an old hip injury.

"So I spend a lot to time travelling to Belfield. Or up to Navan. The only problem there is there aren't proper gates, like you have at major championships. You want to be replicating that as much as you can. And it's the same with Belfield. But to be honest I'm not letting that get to me. That won't achieve anything."

Just last Sunday O'Keeffe threw her season's best of 70.13 metres at the Leinster championships in Tullamore, and reckons she's well ahead of last summer, which climaxed with a sixth place finish at the World Championships in Osaka.

"In training, from my heavy hammer, to my lifts, to my distances, everything is well up on last year," she added, and is now training full-time, putting her nursing career to the side for the time being.

"I won't compete again until the European Cup (in Portugal, on June 21st-22nd). After that I've a bit of a gap. I'm conscious that I don't want to compete too much, to be fresh in August. And I know from being at so many championships, I don't need to compete against the best as much anymore. You realise they're only human, have good and bad days as well. And I believe now it is actually possible to throw against them."

Like a pro golfer, who doesn't want to mess around with his or her swing before a major, O'Keeffe is not playing around with her technique in the build-up to Beijing: "I am still largely self-coached. I have Dave Fagan for strength and conditioning, but I worked with a few people over the last while, who have tried to change my technique a little. But it's just not a good time for that now. I am still improving, that's the important thing for now."

Further information on the Morton Memorial, including the reserving of free tickets, can be found at www.mortonmemorial.com.