Darren Campbell (right) celebrates with Relay team mates in London's Olympic parade 18 Oct - (l to r) Lewis-Francis, Gardener, Devonish (© Getty Images)
On a night of international retirements Scotland beat Ireland and Wales in the inaugural Celtic Cup International on Thursday (17).
The evening was marked by the farewell appearances of the 2000 Olympic 200 metres silver and World 100m bronze medallist Darren Campbell; former World indoor 400m champion Tyree Washington; and four-times Scottish 1500m champion Hayley Ovens. But 46-year old Merlene Ottey, who won the Scottish 100m title in record time last weekend, remains adamant that if she is healthy and having fun, she will contest next year’s IAAF World Championships.
A blustery evening at Grangemouth, near the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, explained why Scottish native records are so durable, and why Scots have separate records: those set anywhere in the world, and those set within their borders.
Despite a flight from Gothenburg to China, and then back to London and then to Scotland, Campbell managed 10.65 into a three-metre wind. This took three hundredths from the stadium best by former Olympian Drew McMaster in 1982. It was a particularly poignant night for Campbell, taking a lap of honour after the last race of his career to the pounding strain’s of Queen: Don’t Stop Now.
He had been outspoken before the race on the subject of Dwain Chambers, whose doping offence relieved Campbell of one European relay gold and one world silver. As a consequnce, the Athens Olympic relay gold medallist, who was denied the 200m Olympic gold in Sydney by Kostadinos Kenteris, decided to end his career right there. He was due to race the Norwich Union International for Britain in Birmingham, against the USA, Russia, and China, but rather than risk a repetition of the aftermath of the European 4 x 100m, when he declined to talk to Chambers, and refused to take a lap of honour, he quit right there.
“This is my last race, in front of a grass roots crowd who care about what athletics is supposed to be about,” he said.
In the shadow of a petro-chemical plant, with a solo flame burning off from a tower, it was a poignant reminder that this was a man who had graced the Olympic arena with distinction.
So also for Washington. He was nursing a damaged hamstring and limped home last in a 600m won by fellow American Jebreh Harris in 1:17.45, leaving the Scottish best by former European and world indoor champion Tom McKean intact at 1:15.4. Washington, who was a member of the quartet which has held the world 4 x 400m record since 1998, made a dignified exit.
“I’m going into law enforcement, as a deputy sheriff in Riverside County, California,” he said, “and I am looking forward to doing some coaching.”
The third retiree was four-times Scottish 1500m champion Ovens, twice a Commonwealth 1500m finalist. She had the satisfaction of anchoring the Scottish 4 x 1500m squad to a British record of 17:34.58, but Ireland won the race, billed as an attempt on the world best held by Australia, but hostage to the wind. It would have taken an average of 4:17.3 to break it, and in the conditions Ovens was the closest to that in the whole field, with 4:21.1.
However a British Milers’ Club under-20 quartet (J Sparke 4:30.7, S Hopkinson 4:33.7, E Pallant 4:36.9, E Pigeon 4:36.1) clocked 18:17.40, which, subject to ratification, would be a world under-20 best.
The elements also thwarted American miler Alan Webb who nevertheless showed he is over hamstring and anemia problems with a solo victory in 4:02.73. And Irish hammer-thrower Eileen O’Keefe, who managed only 65.07 metres in Gothenburg, broke the stadium record with 69.32, which would have booked her a European final place, and earned a top-eight finish.
The Scottish athletics chief executive, Geoff Wightman, hopes the $31,000 budget televised match, which had several innovative features, can be worked up into an athletics version of the Six Nations rugby championship.
Doug Gillon for the IAAF
Celtic Cup International,
Grangemouth
Women
100m 1 M Ottey (Slo, guest) 11.92sec, 2 A Boyle (Irl 12.08; 3 S Deacon (Sco) 12.12, (wind -2.6 metres per second)
200m 1 L McConnell (Sco) 23.95, 2 A Boyle (Irl) 24.78; 3 L Doyle (Sco,
guest) 25.02 (-3.0 mps)
400m 1 G Nicol 54.37, 3, F Harding (Wal) 55.29; 3 M Carey (Irl) 55.60
800m 1 J Ross (Sco) 2min 08.24sec, 2 C Gibson (Bank of Scotland development team) 2:09.29; 3 V Barcello (Wal) 2:15.27
4x1500m 1 Ireland (D Byrne 4:22.8, R McGettigan 4:27.1, M Cullen 4:21.1, A Byrne 4:18.9) 17:29.88, 2 Scotland (F Murray 4:25.90, S Scott 4:23.65, N Gauld 4:24.26, H Ovens 4:21.06) 17:34.58 (UK record), 3 British Milers Club seniors (K Wooton 4:32.2, R Ogden 4:29.1, C Entwistle 4:27.1, J Fenn 4:24.4) 17:52.52; 4 BMC Under-20 (J Sparke 4:30.7, S Hopkinson 4:33.7, E Pallant 4:36.9, E Pigeon 4:36.1) 18:17.40 (world jnr best).
High Jump 1 J Crane (Wal) 1.80m; 2 D Ryan (Irl) 1.78; 3 J Nisbet (Sco) 1.73.
Hammer 1 E O¹Keefe (Irl) 69.32m (stadium record); 2 S Webb (Sco) 64.80; 3 L Brannan 60.81
Men
100m 1 D Campbell (Eng, guest) 10.66; 2 N Smith (Sco, guest) 10.84, 3 C Fleming (Sco) 10.93 (-3.0)
600m 1 J Harris (USA, guest) 1min 17.45sec, 2 G Oudney (Sco) 1:18.36; 3 J Nasrat (Wal) 1:18.74
Mile 1 A Webb (USA, guest) 4:02.73; 2 G Murray (Irl, guest) 4:06.62; 3 J Nolan 4:06.85.
Mixed Medley relay (women’s 800m, men’s 2 x 200m, women’s 400m): 1 Scotland (S Hood, N Smith, B Rund, L Doyle) 3:52.16; 2 Wales (S Davies, G Breeze, D Ademuyewo, A Rees) 3:54.92; 3 Ireland (C McGlynn, P McKee, B Doyle, K Harty)
3:55.09
*Team
Triple jump 1 J Carr (Sco, 14.86m) & G Kerr (12.44m) = 27.30m; 2 A Daffurn (BoS development team, 14.14m) & N Mordi (12.54m) = 26.49m; 3 W Roberts (Wal, 14.34) & C Granville (10.94) 25.28m *Long jump 1 D Ritchie (Sco, 7.14m) & G Cooke (5.77m) = 12.81m, 2 S Fleming (Irl, 6.89) & M McLoone (5.45) =12.11; 3 S Benson (BoS development team, 6.59m) & E Henderson (5.51m) = 11.92m
Match result: 1 Scotland 43, 2 Ireland 32, 3 Wales 25
*Jumps were staged as team contests (one male, one female) with each double jump added together to give the best total. The figures in brackets represents the best individual performances by each athlete.
