Ciara Mageean, Nick Griggs and Alex Bell will be among the track stars competing at Saturday’s Belfast Irish Milers Meet which has World Athletics Continental Tour status this year.
Manchester-based Mageean’s entry has delighted meeting director and her former coach Eamonn Christie.
“I can’t wait to see Ciara back racing on her home track,” said Christie.
“I’m sure people will be travelling from Portaferry and other places to see her in action.”
Mageean has been Northern Ireland’s most successful athlete over the past decade with her achievements including two European Championship medals, Olympic Games appearances plus setting outstanding Irish outdoor records over 800m and 1000m.
The Ards peninsula woman’s demeanour, on and off the track, has made her one of Ireland’s most popular sports people and the new kid on the athletics block, Tyrone youngster Griggs also has a personality which people have rapidly warmed to since his stunning 3,000m victory as a 16-year-old at last summer’s European Under-20 Championships in Estonia.
The tragic death of Nick’s beloved brother Joshua six weeks earlier while working on a summer job only made the Newmills teenager’s Tallinn victory over more experienced athletes all the more remarkable.
Griggs emergence recalls Mageean’s teenage heroics
In many ways, Griggs’ emergence has brought back memories of Mageean’s heroics in her junior days which included winning a World Under-20 1500m silver medal in 2010 – when she was the only non-African athlete to appear on the podium in the middle distance and distance events in the men’s and women’s programmes.
With Mageean planning another busy summer which could include the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and the European Championships, it’s certainly not right to talk in terms of the Portaferry athlete being ready to hand on the Northern Irish middle distance baton to Griggs.
However, the Tyrone teenager certainly does look equipped – in local terms – to potentially take the sport into a new era in the coming years.
As she makes her summer season’s debut, Mageean’s opponents over 800m will include her Tokyo Irish Olympic team-mate Louise Shanahan plus Dutch athlete Marissa Damink, who has a personal best of 2:02.98, with Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games hopeful Katie Kirk having to miss out because of injury.
Griggs, meanwhile, will take his chances in the men’s 1500m which organiser Christie says will be run at “3:36 or 3:37” pace.
After his astonishing 3:56.40 European Indoor Under-20 mile record performance in Dublin during March, going sub-3:40 for the first time over 1500m is an obvious target for the Tyrone youngster, who is coached by Mark Kirk.
‘He looks effortless when he runs’
However, the presence of 3:39.22 Englishman Tom Mortimer, talented 3:42.05 Leeds youngster Ethan Hussey and 3:40.65 Scottish 20-year-old Kane Elliott should focus Griggs’ mind with one of Ireland’s European Cross Country heroes from Dublin in December Keelan Kilrehill also in the 1500m field.
Spanish athlete Juan Ignacio Pena will be among those ensuring a brisk pace and meet director Christie is hoping Griggs safely tucks in behind the rabbits before the race really takes shape as the bell is approached.
“When the pacers pull out, it’s every man for himself and who wants it the most,” added Christie.
“But I watch Nick at the track regularly. He looks effortless when he runs and is in really, really good shape at the moment.”
With the weather forecast looking favourable for Saturday, last year’s meet heroine British Olympian Alex Bell will also be looking for a brisk 1500m to start off her summer season.
Bell clocked a then 800m personal best of 1:58.52 in Belfast 12 months ago when taking a victory which helped propel her all the way to the Olympic final in Tokyo, where she was seventh in a new PB of 1:57.66.
The Leeds athlete’s opponents on Saturday will include Scotland’s British Indoor 800m champion Jenny Selman plus another talented Scot Erin Wallace, whose lifetime best is 4:07.46 – only 0.40 seconds shy of Bell’s PB.
With Phil Healy ruled out by illness, Irish duo Sophie Becker and Sharlene Mawdsley will be part of a women’s 400m entry that includes Scottish Commonwealth Games hopeful Carys McAulay and Northern Ireland athlete Rachel McCann.
Irish Olympic sprinter Marcus Lawler is entered in both the 200m and 400m with Dundalk native Israel Olatunde hoping to build on his impressive indoor season when he competes in the 100m and the men’s 800m also having the makings of a cracking race with last year’s winner, Kildare athlete John Fitzsimons taking on British 1:44.72 man Archie Davis.
The 5,000m races will see Hiko Tonosa aim to repeat his men’s victory of 12 months ago and the women’s field including the Eamonn Christie-coached Commonwealth Games athlete Emma Mitchell.
With the World Athletics Continental Tour brand added to the meeting’s European Permit status this years, athletes from as far afield as Qatar will be in action at an event voted Ireland’s best track meet in 2021.
The meeting has become one of the great ‘under-the-radar’ success stories in Northern Ireland sport since the indefatigable Christie first staged the event eight years ago.
The Belfast man plays down talk that it is almost a one-man-band operation but in reality that is almost the case as he has convinced local businesses to sponsor individual races, in addition to attracting big brand support in recent years including Saturday’s main backers Tripadvisor.
Unlike other World Continental Tour meetings, the Belfast Irish Milers Meet does not have a big budget but the organisation, competition and atmosphere at the event means top athletes are happy to turn up – in many cases at their own expense.
Christie’s close friend, recently crowned seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who himself is an avid runner, is expected to attend Saturday’s meeting with Irish athletics great Eamonn Coghlan also planning to be there.
