ATHLETICS: The only thing now standing between David Gillick and next weekend's World Indoor Championships in Moscow is the small matter of a college exam. Following his selection earlier this week, Gillick yesterday confirmed that he was ready to run, and desperately wanted to run, but the studies have to come first.
Although he hasn't yet run a 400 metres this season, Gillick feels he wouldn't be too far away from a medal in Moscow, and his times in training - and races over 200 metres - suggest he's in similar form as this time last when he went to European Indoors in Madrid and famously won gold.
Just last week, however, Gillick realised that one of his final-year exams at DIT was set for Monday, March 13th - the day the Irish team are to travel back from Moscow. He has applied to get the exam postponed, but as of yesterday evening had heard nothing back.
Unless he gets another date for the exam, he won't be travelling.
The 400 metres final in Moscow is set for the Sunday, March 12th, but even if he were able to make it back he didn't want to deal with the distraction. So it's either the exams or the World Indoors, and definitely not both.
Yesterday Gillick travelled back from a successful two-week warm weather training in Florida.
The Irish team are set to travel to Moscow next Wednesday, with the championships starting on Friday.
However, Gillick now seems likely to be face down in his books next weekend, rather than trying to win a medal for Ireland.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/d165b880-c7ad-4f7e-a181-ca58ab2e1f35.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)