Smyth sizzles in Florida heat

THE old adage that to run fast requires the sun on your back and a spring in your step, certainly holds true, as top local sprinter Jason Smyth proved last week during his extended stint of warm weather training in Florida.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th May 2010, 15:05 BST
Updated 18th May 2010, 09:33 BST

The Eglinton Flyer, in the States with his coach Stephen Maguire, blasted his way to new PB’s for the 100m/200m sprint double of 10.41 and 21.09.

These are very impressive performances indeed so early in the season and auger well for his upcoming challange at the European U23 Championships. He slashed his 200m pb from 21.4 down to 21.09, a brilliant performance, and just outside the qualifying time for the European Senior Championships! His 100m improvement was not so eyecatching - down from 10.42, but clearly sub 10.4 is now only a formality. The City of Derry star now looks good enough to make the European U23 sprint finals and indeed medals, are a serious possibility.

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It’s been a busy period on the road race scene with a record 120 entry at last Wednesday’s Lisnagelvin 5K, with Scott Rankin just getting home ahead of Richard Johnston and Joe McKinney outsprinting Paddy Moore and James Brown to win Friday night’s Culdaff 5K.

Abbey AC’s Gemma Turley, third in the Bay Road race won the Women’s race at Lisnagelvin ahead of Letterkenny’s Margaret Kelly and Innishowen’s Theresa Doherty with Jackie McGinley ahead of Marina Campbell in the local battle for supremacy. Helena Crossan was an easy winner in Culdaff.

The competitive action continued with the Inter Firms 5K in Letterkenny and tomorrow evening there’s a local venue, ’Out the Line’ on the old Letterkenny Road for the annual Foyle Valley promotion, Wilkie’s 5M Classic. Entries will be taken from 6pm at race HQ in the Long Tower Youth/Community Centre in the Brandwell, the race starts at 7.30pm.

Tonight (Wednesday) brings the second race in the new Spar 10K Series in Bambridge, the local Dessies Run in Gransha on Sunday, August 29 is also in this Series. The Ballymena Ecos 5m is at 1pm this Saturday and race three of the Furey Insurances 5K Series will take the show to the fast Buncrana circuit next Wednesday, May 26, with a 7.30pm start.

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Finally on road running, on-line entries for this year’s Tesco Waterside Half Marathon are now open, check out www.derrycity.gov.uk/half marathon.

The race of course is set for the Gransha Grounds on Sunday, September 12 and more details will be released over the next few weeks.

Back to Track/Field action and the Ulster Schools Championships will be staged in Antrim this Friday and Saturday.

Local interest will be very significant with a sizeable number of qualifiers from local schools travelling in search of good performances, medals and passports to the All Ireland Schools in Tullamore in early June. Good luck to them all.

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