SPORTS NEWS: POLISH OLYMPIC HAMMER CHAMPION CONFIRMS VISIT TO SANTRY THIS FRIDAY TO CHALLENGE EILEEN O’KEEFFE
Polish Olympic hammer champion coming to Santry this Friday to challenge Eileen O’Keeffe and current World Champion, Betty Heidler – Strongest ever throwing event held in Ireland
– FREE entry to Brother Ireland Morton Memorial Meeting which starts at 7 pm
Kamila Skolimowska, the Olympic hammer champion in 2000 has confirmed today (Monday 21st July) that she will travel to Dublin to compete this Friday in Morton Stadium, Santry against Ireland’s Eileen O’Keeffe and current World Champion, Betty Heidler of Germany, in what will be the strongest ever field event competition held in Ireland.
Skolimowska (25) finished fifth in the 2004 Olympics, and won silver and bronze medals at the 2002 and 2006 European Championships respectively. She has already thrown 73.50 metres this summer.
She will be joined in the competition against O’Keeffe by current world champion, Betty Heidler of Germany (who has thrown 74.11 metres this summer) and finished fourth in the 2004 Olympics, the current European Junior Champion, Kathrina Safrankova of the Czech Republic, Kathrin Klaas and Andres Bunjes of Germany and Bethany Hart of the USA.
O’Keeffe, who finished sixth in the 2007 World Championships, showed she is coming into excellent form when she threw beyond 72 metres three times last Saturday defending her title at the National Championships in Santry with a winning throw of 72.75. With signs of good weather forecast for Friday, and a fast, dry throwing circle, O’Keeffe is expected to challenge her Irish record of 73.21 metres on the night.
Thanks to the generous support of Brother Ireland and the Irish Sports Council, entry will be FREE to the Brother Ireland Morton Memorial Meeting which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the summer of world records on the old cinder track there. Over four weeks from the 9th of July to 7th August 1958 three world records were set in Santry over one, two and three miles.
Announcing the Olympic gold medallist’s addition to the field, meeting director Garrett Coughlan said: “These throwers are approaching their peak form and the Brother Ireland Morton Meeting will be their final competition before Beijing. It will be a fantastic opportunity for an Irish audience to see a world-class event here and a chance for Eileen O’Keeffe and her team colleagues to have a spectacular send-off”.
The Morton Mile will be the major track event of the evening and will feature twelve men who have already broken the four minute barrier for the distance, including Ireland’s fastest miler of 2008 David Campbell and Mark Christie.
Bernard Williams of the USA, with a best time of 9.94 seconds has been added to the 100 metres field.
The full evening’s programme includes five 45 second men in the 400 metres and eight sub 10.3 men over 100 metres. Events on the programme include men’s 3 miles, 1 mile, 400 metres, 100 metres and pole vault. Women’s events are 3,000 metres, 400 metres, 100 metres, hammer and high jump. The programme ends at 9 pm with the Morton Mile.
Among the VIP guests at the event will be Ronnie Delany who finished third in the famous world record mile race at the stadium in 1958, and Eamonn Coghlan.
Further details:
Garrett Coughlan, Meeting Director, 087 1313146, [email protected]
Roy Dooney,The Media Group, 087 2414165 / 01 2301815 / [email protected]
