Paul McKee Sets Irish 400 metre Record
Irish Results for Riga 2002 & Gustav Sule Memorial in Tartu

Thanks to Pierce O'Callaghan for this Riga report. There were three Qualifying standards for the European Championships in Munich in August as well as three personal bests providing a most satisfactory return for a small but elite Irish Athletics team, taking part in a Grand Prix event in Riga, Latvia, this evening.

Team Captain, Terry McHugh, bettered the required 78.00 metre mark to secure his selection, for what is an unprecedented 4th successive European Championships with a best effort 78.67m. Just as noteworthy, however, in this event was the performance of 22 year-old Ben Houghton who, for the first time in his career crossed the magical 70-metre barrier with a best of 70.03. This also represents the first time in Irish athletics history that 2 men threw the javelin over 70m in the same competition. Paul McKee powered home to win the 400m in 46.07, a full 63/100th of a second under the required standard to become the 3rd Irish qualifier over 400m. The Sydney Olympian now joins Tomas Coman and David McCarthy on the qualification list, which may yet be added to, giving the selectors a rather nice selection headache.

Terry McHugh photos by Lon Britenbach

Cork's Derval O'Rourke, too added her name to the list of qualifiers, with a superb time of 13.30 seconds to take silver in the 100m hurdles. The UCD student, who only turned 21 on Wednesday, is now edging ever closer to Susan Smith's National record of 13.12. Emily Maher scored a fine double in the women's 100m and 200m to continue her early season form and Lisburn's Kelly McNeice knocked a full 2 seconds off her PB to record a top class time of 2.04.55 to take 3rd in the 800m and Michelle Carey also had a PB in the 400m hurdles clocking an impressive 59.11

Paul McKee (Beechmount AC) set a new Irish Senior record in an international meet held in Tartu, Estonia on 2nd June. His time for the 400 metre-event at 45.62 erases the existing record, which stood at 45.73 to Derek O'Connor set in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA on 5th June 1986. In addition to McKee accomplishment, Darragh Graham, from Wicklow placed third in the 200 metres running 21.53 which is a World Junior qualifier. Michelle Carey (Dublin Striders) set another Personal Best in the 400m hurdles running 58.57, .04 better than the time she ran in Riga on 31st May.

Paul McKee

Irish Men's Team
Athlete/Club	Riga	Tartu
John McAdorey Ballymena	100m, 4th, 10.52 w	100m, 4th, 10.65 200m, 1st, 21.64 w
Darragh Graham Wicklow	100m, 5th, 10.69 w 200m, 1stB 21.64 w	100m, 2ndB, 10.75 200m, 3rd, 21.53
Gary Ryan Nenagh	100m, 3rd, 10.51 w 200m, 3rd, 21.7 w	100m, 6th, 10.95
Paul Hession Athenry	100m, 1stB, 10.83 200m, 2ndB, 21.67 w	100m, 4thB, 10.90 200m, 4th, 21.62
Paul McKee Beechmount	400m, 1st, 46.03	400m, 1st, 45.62 Irish Senior Record
Gordon Kennedy Tullamore	400m, 6th, 48.33	400m, 8th, 48.83
Stephen McDonnell Strabane	400m H, 3rd, 52.1	400m H, 52.85
Stephen Fleming Crusaders	Long Jump, 6th, 7.00m	-
Terry McHugh Dublin City Harriers	Javelin, 2nd, 78.67m	Javelin, 4th, 75.63m
Ben Houghton Ballymena	Javelin, 6th, 70.03m PB	Javelin, 8th, 69.33m
Irish Women's Team
Athlete/Club	Riga	Tartu
Emily Maher Kilkenny City Harriers	100m, 1st, 11.97 200m, 1st, 24.13	100m, 5th, 12.17
Kelly McNiece Lisburn	800m, 3rd, 2.04.55 PB	800m, 4th, 2.04.61
Derval O'Rourke University College Dublin	100m H, 2nd, 13.38	100m H, 3rd, 13.53
Michelle Carey Dublin Striders	400m H, 3rd, 59.11 PB	400m H, 2nd, 58.57 PB
Antoinette Furlong DMP	Long Jump, 4th, 5.92m	Long Jump, 4th, 6.00m
Rita Brady, Navan	Team Manager
David Sweeney, DCH	Coach

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