Morton Games to take centre stage in Santry

THIS Friday, July 24 some of the world’s best athletes will converge on Morton Stadium in Santry for an exciting festival of international athletics.

The Morton Games has blossomed in recent years and now enjoys an excellent worldwide reputation amongst athletes and athletics fans.

Last year’s Meet proved to be one of the best sporting occasions in Dublin. In favourable weather conditions, some of the world’s top athletes responded to a large and enthusiastic Santry crowd.

It was a night of stadium record after stadium record. From the starter’s gun, for the Men’s 400m Hurdles, it was clear that this was going to be a night that would live long in the memory as Ireland’s Thomas Barr left a world champion, Jehue Gordon of Trinidad, in his wake. Barr resurrected the

‘Santry Roar’ and in the process set the first of an unbelievable eight stadium records on one night.

The night passed in a blur with record after record being smashed until eventually two hours later the iconic Morton Mile – the biggest race in Irish athletics – took centre stage.

Olympic champions, including John Walker of New Zealand and Kenyan Kip Keino, have won the race in the past.

Last July bearded American Will Leer wrote himself into the history books. Not only did he join Steve Scott (USA) as a three-time winner of the Morton Mile, but he also consigned Scott’s stadium record of 1980 to the history books. Leer won one of the fastest miles in the world and the fastest ever in Ireland in a time of 3.51.82.

Friday’s Meet will be a non-stop night of athletics from the opening of the international programme at 7pm right through to the Morton Mile itself at 9pm.

This will be one of the greatest gatherings of sub 4-minute milers ever at a race in Ireland with no less than 13 of the 16-man field already having sub 4-minute miles on their CVs.

In an interview in the United States earlier this year, Will Leer described the Morton Games as his favourite athletics meeting

“without a doubt

?.

He will be bidding for a fourth win and is aiming to become the most prolific Morton Miler in history.

Also confirmed for the Mile are Leer’s fellow Americans Pat Casey, second in the 2014 Morton Mile; Jordan McNamara, winner of the Morton Mile in 2011; and Riley Masters who returns to the Morton Games for a third successive year.

The Irish challenge will be lead by John Travers who last year ran his first sub 4-minute mile in a time of 3.55.44 after and outstanding race, and Eoin Everard, Danny Mooney and Tomas Cotter.

Other top Irish athletes competing at the Morton Games include European Indoor silver medallist Mark English, sprinter Kelly Proper, Brian Gregan, leading European 400 hurdler Thomas Barr and Ciara Mageean.

Admission is

?¬10 for adults, and with children accompanying an adult going free, it is also highly affordable.

Visit www.mortongames.ie for full details of the programme.