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The Northern Ireland Athletic Federation and the Athletic
Association of Ireland are pleased to announce that World
Championship 100m Bronze medalist DARREN CAMPBELL will once
again be competing in the televised Irish Indoor Athletic
Championships at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on the weekend
of 14th and 15th February 2004. This second ever indoors meeting
in the North has been made possible by the generous assistance
of the Northern Ireland Events Company, the Sports Council
for Northern Ireland, River Rock and Belfast City Council.
CAMPBELL (30) of Sale was easily the most outstanding British
sprinter at last August's World Championships in Paris where he clinched
the bronze medal in the 100 metres with a seasons best of 10.08secs which
was a mere 0.01secs behind winner Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis
and runner up Daniel Brown of Trinidad. CAMPBELL then followed this spectacular
return to form with 4th place in the 200 metres behind winner John
Capel of the USA, an agonizing .01 seconds away from another bronze medal.
These performances were particularly impressive in that they illustrated
that CAMPBELL had finally recovered from a lengthy period of varying
injuries. This was not the first occasion in which CAMPBELL has excelled
at the highest level in his sport. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics he
was only denied the 200 metres gold medal by Kenderis of Greece.
In competing at the Odyssey the former semi professional
footballer has passed up an opportunity to compete for Britain in the European
Indoor Cup in Leipzig, Germany on the same weekend. Local athletics fans
will remember his win in Belfast a year ago when he defeated Mark
Lewis Francis over 60 metres (6.64secs). His opposition this year will again
include Ballymena's multi Irish record holder PAUL BRIZZELL.
Other names already announced for this meeting include GILLIAN
O'SULLIVAN,< who set the World Indoor 3K Record at the Odyssey last year,
Belfast's World Indoor 400 metres bronze medallist PAUL McKEE and former
Commonwealth and multi AAA's High Jump title holder DALTON GRANT.
For further details please contact:
Brian Hill
Public Relations Officer, Northern Ireland Athletic Federation
Telephone: 028 9127 9630 (B) 0797 7037629 (Mobile)
NIAF Office: 028 9060 2707
or
Pierce O'Callaghan
Athletic Association of Ireland,
087-6645198
www.athleticsireland.ie
Source the Athletics Ireland
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