“Santry Night Fever” at Morton Games
Morton Games International Athletics returns to the Morton Stadium Santry on Saturday night for a night of ‘Santry Night Fever’! This is Dublin’s only international track and field athletics meet and is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour. Saturday draws in many of Ireland’s top athletes including those who took national titles at last weekend’s Championships.
Highlights on Saturday will include the Women’s 100m Hurdles, this will get the meet off to a fantastic start with Sarah Lavin taking on Olympic semi-finalist Liz Clay (AUS), Jade Barber (USA) and Eefje Boons (NED). All four athletes have run sub-13 seconds, and with favourable conditions on Saturday who knows, we might witness the first sub-13 in the Morton Stadium. In the Men’s 100m, national champions Israel Olatunde (100) and Mark Smyth (200) go head-to-head. Also entered are Anaso Jobodwana (RSA), 2015 world 200 bronze medallist, Bismark Boateng (CAN) and British duo Andrew Robertson and Dewi Hammond.
Both the Men’s and Women’s 800m's have a real classy look about them. The Men’s 800 includes, looking for his third Morton win, Kyle Langford (GBR) who recently clocked 1.44.83, Jye Perrott (AUS), Joonas Rinne (FIN) and Ireland’s European U/20 1500 champion Cian McPhillips. In the women’s 800 national champion Louise Shanahan will face top-class opposition including 4th place finisher at last year’s European indoors Ellie Baker (GBR). Both athletes have run sub-2, and are accompanied in the field by Izzy Boffey (GBR), Kendra Chambers (USA) and Cynthia Anais (FRA).
The Albie Thomas Men’s 5000m draws in many athletes from Europe who are chasing the European qualifying time of 13.24 including Jack Rowe (GBR), Jose Ignacio Gimenez Perez (ESP), Badr Jaafari (ITA) to name but three. Efrem Gidey (IRL) will be looking to run in PB territory in this race, along with many other Irish middle-distance athletes. Throw into the mix the New Zealand duo Eric Speakman and Olli Chignell, Jordan Mann (USA) and this has all the hallmarks of a thrilling race.
The field events are looking particularly strong. The Women’s High Jump brings national champion Sommer Lecky and runner up Pippa Rogan back together again along with Lara Omerzu (SLO), Anabela Nito (POR), Michelle Suat Li (SNG) and Australia’s Emily Whelan. In the Men’s Javelin Lars Timmerman – Jetten (NED) is also looking for his third Morton win and he will face Joe Dunderdale (GBR), Tom Meier (GER) and Irish national champion Conor Cusack.
The big-name in the Men’s Shot Put is a top 10 world-ranked athlete Nick Ponzio (ITA). A finalist in this year’s World indoors, the Olympian will very much have his sights on the Stadium record as he is an athlete consistently throwing beyond 21m. The battle between national champion John Kelly and Eric Favors resumes. In all it will be an intriguing competition.
The iconic Morton Mile always produces excitement. This race is the most prolific producer of the sub- 4 mile in Ireland, the date there has been 149 sub four-minute Morton miles. From an Irish perspective Cathal Doyle, who took the national 1500 title in emphatic style on Sunday, will look to go sub- 4 for the first time. If he achieves that it will be quite an emotional night for him in the Clonliffe vest at his ‘home venue’ in the Morton Mile. A stellar Irish field of milers comes together: National 5000 champion Darragh McElhinney, Paul Robinson, Andrew Coscoran, Nick Griggs, national silver medallist Shane Bracken and Oisin Gallen will all be well in the mix. Overseas competition will be spearheaded by Sean Dolan (USA), the NCAA 800 finalist certainly will have the speed ever comes down to kick over the last 200, Aussie pairing of Rorey Hunter and Callum Davies, and Liam Dee and Jonny Davies from Great Britain all of whom are sub-4 minute milers. It really is a race that can’t be called at this stage. What we can all be sure of is that it will provide a fitting finale to a superb night’s entertainment!
Admission to Morton Games is by payment on the gate. Only 10 Euro with U/16s free. There will be food stalls and the clubhouse beer-garden. It will be a great night and is well worth making the effort to go to Santry and support Ireland’s best athletes against top international athletes. It is a rare opportunity to attend an international athletics meet in Ireland however if you cannot attend, the event will be live-streamed (see link below). Check the event website for latest timetable information and the event programme which can be viewed and downloaded from Saturday.
More Information and Tickets: HERE
Live stream: HERE