Gillick upbeat over medal hopes
David Gillick
Wednesday March 10 2010
After recently equalling his Irish 400 metres record and having seen himself thrust into the limelight as a possible, gold medallist David Gillick is upbeat about his chances at this weekend's World Indoor Championships in Doha.
Gillick, whose winter schedule has been centred on preparing for the outdoor season, was elated after clocking 45.52 seconds and equalling his two-year-old national mark at last month's Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham.
"The indoor season wasn't a goal for the year, all my training is geared for the outdoor season," said Gillick. "We said we would do a race indoors to break up the winter. I knew I had been training well over the winter, but to run that fast in my first race was exciting."
His emphatic victory at the showpiece event lifted him at the time to second place in the world rankings and, when the 400m heats get under way on Friday, only Bershawn Jackson of the United States will go to the start line with a faster mark this year.
"I felt very strong in Birmingham, and I did look around and slightly ease up in the last few metres, so I'd like to think there is a few more tenths there," said the 26-year-old Ballinteer-born star.
He admitted: "I think the American athletes will be a threat, and of course three rounds in two days will be tough, but it's the same for every athlete.
"The indoor 400m is exciting to watch, a lot can happen. But as an athlete, you want to run your best outdoors."
For the moment, Gillick remains determined to bring home a gold medal and win the Ireland's first world indoor title since Derval O'Rourke's success four years ago in Moscow.
"Yes, I will be nervous," he said. "But that is the norm and can help me get the best out of myself."
