Nolan changes course for Japan

Athletics News round-up: James Nolan's victory in the New Year's Day road race in the Phoenix Park proved particularly timely as he afterwards announced his intention to move up to the 3,000-metre steeplechase.

The Offaly man successfully defended his title at the Tom Brennan Memorial 5km, run in strong winds, looking relaxed and comfortable at a distance above his 1,500-metre speciality.

It has been a few years since Ireland has had anyone of world class competing in the men's steeplechase, but Nolan, who recently turned 30, believes he can now qualify in the event for the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, next August.

"I feel I'm strong enough to make an impact in the event and intend to have a serious try at it towards the end of the summer season," said Nolan, who took the win yesterday in 14 minutes and 46 seconds - four seconds ahead of Dublin's Mark Kenneally.

"My best time for the 3,000 metres on the track of 7:52 converts to something inside the A standard of 8:24 for the steeplechase, and I feel that is possibly my best chance of making it to the World Championships.

"I'm getting stronger all the time and I don't think the hurdles will be a problem because I've done hurdling in the past and I think I also have the physique for it. I appreciate it can be a difficult event but there is nothing easy when it comes to top-class track running."

If Nolan does get the A standard he will also be in line for selection for the Beijing Olympics next year, which would be his third successive Olympics.

The organisers of yesterday's race put on a €200 bonus for any athlete breaking 14 minutes for the two-lap circuit, but that was never on given the stormy weather.

Kenneally took out the pace and did his best to take the sting out of Nolan with some strong running up front and an opening mile of 4:38. Nolan, however, was content to sit and wait before accelerating away in the closing stages. Paul Fleming of Rathfarnham took third in 15:30.

Nolan will next focus on the indoor season, eyeing the European indoors in Birmingham in early March, beginning with a mile in Boston on January 27th: "I understand the track (in Boston) is very fast and hopefully that race will set me up for the remainder of the season. After that I intend to have a race every week leading up to Birmingham.

"I feel I can win a medal there on the evidence of the fact that I was eighth fastest in the world last year (3:39.89) and ranked number four in Europe. I now have a new coach in Ricky Simms who is also my manager and my training has been going really well and I want to have a big year in 2007 and so far the signs are good."

Niamh Devlin of Dundrum South Dublin took the women's race yesterday in 17:52 from Caroline Harney of Mullingar. Jean Wilson of Dublin was third.

Meanwhile in Madrid, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge smashed the world 10km road record, clocking 26:54 at the San Silvestre Vallenca road race on New Year's Eve. The 22-year-old narrowly defeated Eritrea's Olympic 10,000 metres bronze medallist Zersenay Tadesse, who was given the same time as both runners shared the distinction of cracking the previously impregnable 27-minute barrier.

Australia's Craig Mottram finished third in 27:38, to break his own Oceania record by 16 seconds.

While the winning time is still to be ratified, it looks set to better the previous world record of 27:02, set by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie in Doha four years ago.

Kipchoge passed through five kilometres in 13:07 - eye-poppingly faster, incidentally, than what was run in the Phoenix Park yesterday.