Smith clears first hurdle with sponsorship deal

SUSAN SMITH has never been bashful about sticking her neck out. She wants to win medals. This year's World Championships in Athens, next year's European Championships and the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 offer long term goals, all of which, she said yesterday, are well within her reach.

Now TNT, having assisted Michelle Smith in her haul of four Olympic medals in the pool, yesterday announced they will be sponsoring Susan Smith on the track, a move that will allow her to train as diligently as her main competitors in the 400 metre hurdles.

The deal is estimated to be worth £20,000, with medal and record bonuses capable of bring the figure substantially higher. It will also take into consideration special training requirements and accommodation expenses when and if they arise.

Smith (23), is also a recipient of one of the elite athlete grants recently handed out by the Irish Sports Council. She received £10,000.

It was estimated that Michelle Smith earned around £100,000 from TNT, with £45,000 coming from her spectacular performances in Atlanta.

"I can now train full time and I hope it can propel me to the top," Susan Smith said yesterday. I think it can. I plan on peaking for the World Championships this year just as I did for the Olympics last year. My 56.51 time which started this year is two seconds faster than where I started last year. So that's a very good base for me to kick off. I know there is more to come.

Her coach, Loren Seagrave, who is one of the top hurdling experts in the world, sees her moving even further up the rankings.

"Training full time is going to allow her to increase her intensity, reduce her stress level and bounce back from stress training, and we certainly feel that she is going to run in the low 54 second range this year. That would put her in the top five athletes in the world and set her up for a great situation in the World Championships and beyond," he said.

Not many of Ireland's athletes set their sights so spectacularly high. Few have the talent to do so and fewer still willingly shoulder the pressure of publicly laying out their ambitions.

Smith has set her mind to being one of the best 400 metres hurdlers in the world, and already she has made good progress. From being an average hurdler last year to running 54.93 and just barely missing out on the finals in Atlanta, she has moved in to the top 15 in the world. In Atlanta she was placed 11th overall, and last year broke the Irish record six times.

Olympic champion Dion Jennings told Smith at a meeting last year that at the next Olympics she would be in the medals. American Kim Batten, who won silver in Atlanta, did not make the Barcelona Games, and Tonya Buford Baily, the 1997 Olympic bronze medallist, like Smith, made it to the Barcelona semifinals.

Recently back from a stint of training in Atlanta, Smith's next run will be in Henglo this Saturday, where an interesting head to head will also take place between the two great middle distance runners, Noureddine Morceli and Haille Gebrselassie. The two world champions will run against each other over a compromise two miles.

Dublin radio station 98FM have also announced that they will sponsor the Dublin City marathon for the next four years, which will secure the future of the run until 2000. Support of approximately £250,000 has been committed, comprising a direct financial contribution, on air advertising and promotional support.

Denis O'Brien, the chairman of 98FM, said the station is determined to throw its entire weight behind the Dublin marathon.

"We plan to revive the marathon over the next four years, as it is an outstanding Dublin event," he said yesterday. The race will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, October 27th.