Gold medal a subplot to men's 800m

ATHLETICS: National Championships preview:SOME ATHLETES come to the National Championships to win titles, and some athletes have other challenges to face.

Exactly two weeks before the World Championships begin in Berlin, Germany, the Morton Stadium in Santry will this weekend help determine which Irish athletes get to go there, and nowhere is that issue more compelling than in the men’s 800 metres.

The IAAF rules are quite clear on this. Each participating country is allowed send three athletes to the World Championships, provided they each have the A-standard qualifying mark.

If no one has the A-standard, they are allowed send one athlete with the B-standard – but one athlete only. Right now both Thomas Chamney and David Campbell have the B-standard over 800 metres and they both want to go to Berlin, big time.

They have what is kindly described as a “healthy” rivalry, but neither athlete enjoys losing to the other. Quite the opposite. The picture of Chamney beating Campbell in last year’s championships perfectly captured that, when again both athletes had the B-standard for the Olympics.

Chamney got to go to Beijing as a result, but almost as an afterthought, when the Olympic Council of Ireland agreed to send athletes on B-standards – and Campbell was justifiably annoyed at the handling of the whole thing.

A year on, however, and Chamney has sharpened his edge on the rivalry, beating Campbell in the Oslo Golden League meeting when running a superb 1:45.41, to Campbell’s 1:45.59 (the A-standard, typically, is 1:45.40). Inevitably, there is a sense of uncertainty as to whether both athletes will in fact line up for the 800 metres.

Chamney also ran the B-standard over 1,500 metres this summer with his 3:37.67, and at times has looked even more competitive over the longer distance. But the bottom line is that to be guaranteed selection in their chosen event they have to win the national title, and that’s set up a classic encounter. My money is on Chamney.

There are several other Irish athletes with B-standards for Berlin who can secure their selection by winning their respective titles this weekend – including Deirdre Byrne in the 1,500 metres (4:08.89), and Deirdre Ryan in the high jump (1.93 metres).

Byrne certainly won’t have it her own way as steeplechase specialist Róisín McGettigan intends moving down a distance, and Rose Anne Galligan has been having a good season as well, running 4:13.66.

For the 12 Irish athletes with A-standards for Berlin, most of whom are already assured of their selection, the championships are more about polishing form rather than proving it.

David Gillick moves down from one lap, running to the 200 metres in an effort to win his first title over the shorter distance, while at the same time looking to improve his personal best of 21.21.

Likewise, Paul Hession cuts his distance in half and runs the 100 metres, seeking a third successive title in the flat-out sprint.

Derval O’Rourke has had another stop-start season through injury, but is coming back into form at the right time, running a season best of 12.90 in Loughborough just last Wednesday.

Barring a fall, O’Rourke will win her eighth 100 metres hurdle title, which will equal the record of former Ivy League standout Susan Smith-Walsh.

Eileen O’Keeffe is bidding for an even more impressive ninth successive title in the women’s hammer.

Alistair Cragg’s form in the 5,000 metres remains as unpredictable as ever, and he hasn’t come close to reproducing the 13:16.83 he ran in California back in May. He’s still one of the few potential finalists in Berlin if he can somehow pull it all together on the day, but in the meantime he’s due to test his speed by running the 1,500 metres this week.

Today’s action gets underway at 12.40 while most of the finals get underway tomorrow from noon.