Dale Garland. (0599310)
DALE GARLAND admits he is now ‘unlikely to run’ at the Birdnest Stadium after not being named in Britain’s quartet for today’s 4×400m relay semi-finals.
While there remains a glint of a chance that the Guernseyman could be called up for the final, that would depend on one of his team-mates picking up an injury.
‘The start four is Steele, Tobin, Bingham and Rooney and they will run that team twice if all run well and stay fit.’
The decision confirmed the worst fears of the athlete, his family and supporters.
And while he is fully recovered from the hamstring problems which hampered his preparations for the national trials, he was very much last man in when the squad was announced, so it is not such a surprise.
Garland will definitely get a start, though, on his home Foote’s Lane track at the second Blue Islands Challenge Cup on Sunday week.
Garland lines up in the 400m hurdles and the sprint and 4×400 relays for the Sportingbet Channel Islands team as they take on two of the top clubs in the UK, Sale Harriers from Manchester and Woodford Green with Essex Ladies.
Match organiser Rob Batiste is waiting on news of how many of the two clubs’ Olympic contingent will be travelling to Guernsey, but is hopeful some will make it over.
‘It’s already confirmed that both clubs will be fielding GB internationals who just missed out on selection, but a couple [of Olympians] have been provisionally named to come here.
‘One of them is Dan Awde, the successor to Dean Macey in the decathlon.
‘I’m also excited at the prospect of seeing big Tim Abeyie run the 100m-200m double here for Woodford.
‘He’s ranked three in the UK over 200 and is comfortably capable of destroying the all-comers’ mark.
Woodford Green return to Guernsey to defend the trophy they won in the unaugural event in 2006. On that occasion most of the island’s all-comers’ records had to be re-written.
Article posted on 22nd August, 2008 - 12.30pm
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