British number two sprinter ANYIKA ONUORA will be racing against Ballymena’s Irish record holder ANNA BOYLE at the Odyssey arena, Belfast next weekend 17th and 18th February. This is the fourth meeting in the North which has been made possible by the generous assistance of the Sports Council for NI and Belfast City Council. The 22 year-old Liverpool athlete has a personal best 100m time last year of 11.31 seconds which ensured a silver medal in last year’s AAA’s Championships behind British Number 1 Joyce Maduaka. While ANYIKA just missed out on a medal in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, she was a member of the British silver medal sprint relay team in the European Championships last August. However, 10 days ago ANNA BOYLE recorded a convincing 60m victory over her British rival in Bratislava in an impressive time of 7.37 seconds- only 0.5 seconds outside the record she set at the Odyssey Arena a year ago when she defeated some top class African and Irish competition. ONUORA finished 4th in Bratislava ahead of Irish sprinters CIARA SHEEHY and AILIS MC SWEENEY who are also expected to race in Belfast. First three in 60m at The Odyssey last year - Ailis NcSweeney, Anna Boyle and Emily Maher BOYLE is clearly once again in top form for the Indoor season and must be firm favourite to win at the Odyssey. She is consistently recording fast times at present- in Budapest recently she ran 0.1 seconds faster than her winning time in Bratislava. Also competing again in Belfast will be world ranked triple jumper DANA VELDAKOVA of the Slovak Republic. Last March she set a National Record of 14.21 metres in the final of the World Indoors in Moscow. The former World Junior bronze medallist recorded 14.18 metres in the recent Bratislava meeting- one of the leading jumps in the world this season. At the Odyssey last year she lost to World Triple jump champion Tricia Smith of Jamaica who set an All Comers Record of 14.23 metres. Further information from: Brian Hill: Tel Mobile: 0781 506 9697 OR Clare McCoy: Tel: 02890 602707 NOTES TO EDITORS: 1. The Odyssey Arena will once again be transformed on 17th & 18th February into a showcase for top class athletics for the biggest event in the Irish Indoor Athletics calendar, with competition for places on the Irish Team for the European Indoor Championships, Birmingham. 2. Tickets are on sale now and are available from Ticketmaster or the Odyssey website. Odyssey Box Office Tel: 028 9073 9074; Book online: www.odysseyarena.com Information Tel: NIAF: 028 9060 2707 3. Tickets: From Adults £8.50, Concession £5.50; Special Offers - Family Tickets & Groups 4. Visit the Official website www.indoorathletics2007.co.uk for athlete profiles, schedule, venue information etc.
Pictures from last night's Dusseldorf featuring David Gillick, Garrett Coughlan and Orla Drumm
Pictures from last night's Dusseldorf featuring David Gillick, Garrett Coughlan and Orla Drumm