Cork City Sports - Irish Milers Club The 57th Cork City Sports, launched by Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Tony Fitzgerald. The annual international track and field meeting takes place at the UCC Sports Complex, The Mardyke on Saturday, 12th July, 2008 at 2.00 pm and features Olympic and World ranked athletes from over 30 countries. The Cork City Sports is now in its 57th year and ranked in the top five by the European Athletic Association. We welcome our two strategic partners, FDC Financial Services Ltd and SPAR. The Sports meeting this year has benefited, not only from their significant financial support, but also from their enthusiasm. This augurs well for the continued success of the event. The star attraction for this year’s event will be Olympic Gold Medallist and triple World Champion for the heptathlon, Carolina Kluft from Sweden who will compete in the long jump. Young talented Irish Champion Kelly Proper from the Ferrybank Club in Waterford, should benefit from competing against the Swedish superstar. Former World Indoor Champion, Derval O’Rourke, will be very much centre stage in attempting to win the 100m Hurdles for the first time at the Cork City Sports having come agonisingly close in previous years. Marina Topic, (Slovenia), Andrea Bliss, (Jamaica), Michel Catteneo (Italy) and a few quick Americans providing stern opposition for the local star from Douglas. World and Olympic Silver Medallist, James Beckford, who set a fabulous new Meeting record of 8.18m for the long jump in 2006, returns to Leeside. This year Australia’s Commonwealth Medallist, Fabrice Lapierre,and Nils Winter (Germany) will push the highly popular Jamaican all the way. Double European Indoor Champion over 400 m, David Gillick, will be the big attraction in this event and will compete against Chris Lloyd (Dominica), Greg Nixon (USA) and former World Indoor Medallist, Paul McKee (Northern Ireland). Irish Sprint Record holder over 100m and 200m, Paul Hession was an impressive home winner for the past two years and is likely to attempt a unique sprint double on this occasion. His duel with leading sprinters, Golden League winner, Brendan Christian (Antigua), DaBryan Blanton (USA), winner of the 100m in Cork last year and former winner, Dwight Thomas (Jamaica) will be another highlight. Also in the Women’s sprints, Laurene Jones, (Virgin Islands), Tahesia Harrigan, Nadine Palmer (Jamaica), Verena Sailer (Germany) will bring the best out of Cork’s own top sprinter, Ailis McSweeney. As usual, high jumping will be of the highest standard with the 2005 World Champion, Yuriy Krimarenko (Ukraine) taking on Andra Manson (USA) and a couple of the Dutch jumpers, Jan Peter Larsen and Martijn Nuijens. The middle distance events in Cork are always fast and exciting affairs with leading Americans, Rob Myers, John Jefferson and Shane Stroup in the field. The Irish trio of James Nolan, David McCarthy and Liam Reale and holder, David Campbell will find it difficult to forge another home victory. Cork’s former European Indoor Champion, Mark Carroll will battle with leading African runners over the 3,000m. The Shot put competition was revived in Cork two years ago and proved a huge success. Last year, World Champion, Reese Hoffa (USA) set a new Meet record of 21.74m. The popular American may defend his title against other 20m+ throwers, Dylan Armstrong (Canada), Maris Urtans (Latvia), Marco Fortes (Portugal) and Steve Manz (USA). In the Women’s Shot, the holder and Olympic Silver Medallist, Nadine Kleinert (Germany) is expected to compete. An outstanding field will compete in the Women’s 400m with previous winners Makelesi Batimala (Fiji) and Kaltouma Nadjina (Chad) and Joanne Cuddihy from Kilkenny competing with Aliann Pompey (Guyana). The Cork City Sports Committee wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Irish Sports Council, Cork City Council and Cork County Council. We also gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of the Athletic Association of Ireland at national and local level. Sports followers from all over the country are expected to converge on the UCC Sports Complex, The Mardyke, Cork on Saturday, 12th July at 2.00 pm for an Athletics spectacular. The Irish Milers Club will be hosting their next series of races next Saturday evening 21st June in Irishtown Stadium, Dublin. There will be 800m races for men (sub 1.50 to 2.15) and women (2.05 to 2.40). Top entrants so far on the men’s side include Schools champion Anthony Leglio and training partner John Coghlan as well as top Welsh athlete James Thie. This meeting may serve as some good speedwork for athletes in between the Watford and Solihull BMC races as well providing an extra race for 800m athletes looking to improve their seasons best times. Entries should be forwarded to Simon Kenny via email to simon.kenny@kpmg.ie no later than Thursday 19th June stating the entrants name, club, personal best and seasons best. Fields will be placed on IMC and AAI websites on Friday. Also athletes who are interested in racing the IMC v BMC Men’s Mile and the IMC v BMC Womens 3000m at the Brother Ireland Morton Memorial on the 25th July are asked to email the organisers with their details at info@mortonmemorial.com . The IMC are also sponsoring a Junior Boys and Junior Girls mile at the event and similarly interested parties are asked to email the organisers with their entries. This is an excellent opportunity for athletes to compete in an international athletics competition in Ireland.