News30 Jul 2007


Mottram touches down ahead of Celtic Cup

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Big win for Craig Mottram in Ostrava (© Golden Spike)

All guest athletes for tomorrow evening's Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup (31) have arrived in Scotland, or are en route, for the international match which takes place at Grangemouth Stadium, Falkirk.

Jessica Ennis, the newly crowned UK champion over 100m Hurdles and the High Jump, will compete in Grangemouth for the first time on Tuesday night and is one of the few genuine Great Britain and Northern Ireland team medal hopes for the World Championships in Osaka.

The Sheffield based athlete, who will contest the 200m and the Long Jump against Scotland's number ones in both events, said, "It's a brilliant opportunity to pull together another couple of events and get in some practice before the World Championships...I probably won't have another chance to compete before then."

Australia's Craig Mottram will inevitably set the standard as he puts the finishing touches to his World Championship preparation in the Bank of Scotland Dream Mile. "It would have to be one hell of a storm to stop me going sub-four minutes on the night - and beating the stadium record narrowly missed by Alan Webb in 2006," he claimed. "It's the same week as Crystal Palace and within a month of the World Champs so I want to be flying."

Andrew Lemoncello (Fife AC), will have a say, however, as he aims to become only the 20th Scot to go sub-four minutes for the distance. The newly crowned UK 3000m steeplechase champion will lead the Scottish challenge as a guest.

Jason Gardener, who finished in 4th place in the men's 100m at the weekend's Norwich Union World Trials and UK Championships, has hinted at retirement and this could be one of his last individual 100m races in the UK.

Katy Anderson for the IAAF

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