BROKEN all-comers’ records were promised and broken all-comers’ records were delivered at the first Fortis Golden Series meeting last night. Before the event, Guernsey’s own Great Britain athletics star Dale Garland boasted he would he set a new all-comers’ time in the 400m. He also expected British sprint sensation Craig Pickering to do the same in the 100m and Guernsey’s best middle distance runner Lee Merrien to set a new record in the two-miler.
And in front of a crowd of more than 800 at Foote’s Lane they all duly did so.
Garland ran a personal best time of 46.50 to break his own record of 46.68, which he set in Melbourne in 2006.
A bit of a breeze blew across the track all evening in otherwise perfect conditions.
‘I’m delighted. I woke up this morning and I was a little bit scared with the weather,’ said Garland.
‘Different runners prefer different things. I like the wind behind me, so it helped me at times I guess, but ideally you’d like no wind at all.
‘The meeting has gone really well the only problem being it was really windy for the 100 and 200m.’
Although the wind did not seem to play too much havoc for 20-year-old Pickering as he crossed the 100m finishing line in 10.4sec., breaking Adam Potter’s time of 10.7 from 2001.
Pickering and Garland both train at Bath University.
‘Dale told me I had to do it and that’s what I’ve done,’ said Pickering afterwards.
‘Dale from the start said he wanted me to come and it’s great to be here. It’s been really good.
‘The weather is a lot better than in England, which is always a bonus.’
And in wrapping up the evening, Merrien broke the two-mile record that has stood since 1962 with a time of 8min. 46.8sec. The Guernseyman sat on the shoulder of Somalian Moumin Geele all the way round until the last lap when he burst out in front to take the line.
‘I’m pleased, it was really good,’ said Merrien.
‘Fair play to him [Geele] and thanks for doing a great job. Full credit to him for coming over.’
Article posted on 31st May, 2007 - 12.00am
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