Bruton faces a tough test in Atlanta

NIALL BRUTON will be one of three Irish competitors in action when the Centennial Olympic Stadium is inaugurated in Atlanta today with the Dubliner competing over the mile. Mark Carroll and Susan Smith are the other two, with Carroll lining up on side Bruton.

Indeed it is an impressive looking gathering for the Grand Prix event which replaces the meet held in New York in previous bears with several World champions set to make their seasonal debuts. And the event to be a really thorough searching for the two Irishmen, with Noureddine Morceli set to compete as well as the Americans, Steve Holman, Terence Herrington, Jason Pyrah and Christian Cushing Murray.

This will be Bruton's first outing of the outdoor season and he could hardly have chosen a more difficult assignment. But the Clonliffe Harriers athlete is undaunted by the task facing him.

"Training has been going better than ever before at this time of the year," he said from his base in Arkansas prior to departing to Atlanta. "In previous years I had illnesses and niggles, but this year I have no stresses" an obvious reference to the fact that with College out of the way, he is now free to concentrate on his athletics.

"I have also changed the emphasis of my training although I did cover around 90 miles a week over the winter, now I am down to about 75 miles a week now. Whereas before l tended to run 400m repetitions, now I am running 800m and concentrating more on speed endurance. The few weeks I spent in Atlanta around Easter at BLE's training camp was a big help. It was good to train with guys like Mark (Carroll).

"The weather here in Fayatteville (Arkansas) has been good for training in recent weeks" with the temperatures in the 70's-80's and it has been quite humid. Although it is not as humid as Atlanta will be in July, it is good preparation for the Olympics."

After the Atlanta meet Bruton will travel home immediately to Dublin which will be his bass for the summer. "I am looking forward to training in Santry and one of the guys from the club (Clonliffe) who is also on scholarship in the States is going to help" me with the training."

But travelling to Europe for races will be a major part of the plan also with Lille on May 25th, followed by Paris, before the National championships on his home track in Santry. The 800m in Cork City Sports will be his second appearance in Ireland with two further races planned before he returns to the US and the Olympic Games.

While this will be Bruton's first race of the season, Mark Carroll, who also won at the Millrose games in February, will be anxious to build on his promising run over l500m in Sao Paulo now that his injury problems are a thing of the past. Carroll will run in the 5000m in Atlanta.

Susan Smith, who has been residing and working in Atlanta for the last few months will take her place in the 400m hurdles and will no doubt be hopeful of improving on her own record still further.

Now back to full fitness after an injury robbed her of the chance to compete in the World Cross Country Championships Sinead Delahunty is expected to make a return to competition also. But the Kilkenny girl will spurn the big meet in Atlanta and instead compete in one of the many low key, but high quality events around her base in Boston.