Ireland’s Darren McBrearty caught the eye when he ran 800m in 1:47.87 at the Vienna Indoor Classic last week, which at the time was the fastest performance this year by a European runner and his personal best under any conditions by more than a second.
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| Ireland's Darren McBrearty is aiming at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava as his main goal for the year. |
McBrearty, who doesn’t turn 20 until 8 March, had given a hint that he had moved up to another level when he ran a personal best of 1:48.88 at an indoor meeting in Cardiff a two days prior to his outing in the Austrian capital.
He failed to progress from the heats in either the 800m or 1500m at the 2010 World Junior Championships last summer but now has to be considered among the medal contenders at the 2011 European Athletics Championships, which will be staged in Paris from 4-6 March, and also the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, later this summer.
In an exclusive interview with European Athletics, the talented teenager talks about how he has achieved his big breakthrough and his ambitions for the next few months.
Q: You’ve made a big step forward this winter, what have you been doing in training since the end of last summer? Did you go away warm weather training anywhere or has it all been done in your home county of Donegal?
A: After the World Juniors in Canada last summer, I took a week off as I felt really tired during the Championships. I then started off training in Donegal for around six weeks, just building up a base but I attend Dublin City University so that’s where I train throughout the school year. I then got injured and was out for two weeks but then got back into training and gained selection for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships (he finished 74th in the junior men’s race Albufeira, Portugal) and then returned to that area when I went to Monte Gordo in January for my first ever training camp, which was a great experience.
Q: What effect on your thinking did going to the World Junior Championships have?
A: The Championships had a major impact on me as an athlete. It was an eye-opening experience and it reassured me that the track was where I really wanted to be. It really made me want success so much more, it was a disappointing experience because of my results but, nevertheless, it will still be one that I will always remember.
Q: Was it a surprise the time you ran in Cardiff on 30 January?
A: No, I knew I was in really good shape. I spoke to my coach and my father before the race and my aim was to break 1.49; that’s what I did so it worked out well.
Q: After Cardiff, what then were you feeling like prior to your run in Vienna last week (on 1 February)?
A: I felt great; I’m really strong at the minute. I’m fairly sharp as well but I have been doing a lot of strength work so I knew it would be no problem putting two races back-to- back like that, you are going to have to do that in a championship anyway.
Q: Can you describe the run in Vienna from your point-of-view?
A: I attended the meet last year so I knew the bends were not as tight as other indoor tracks so that gave me a lot of confidence as I am 6’3” (1.90m) and tight bends don’t suit me. I knew there were a lot of good guys in the meet but I didn’t really think about what they could run, the plan was just to win whichever race I was in. As I was in the last of the fast heats, I got to see how the pace went out.
The last thought that went through my head before the gun went off was: “trust yourself and race smart.” The race went really well and I was really surprised at how relaxed I was the whole way through to the line. I looked up at the clock and was obviously delighted with the time.
Q: What are your thoughts about the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris next month?
A: I have nothing to lose, this is a learning experience for me but that doesn’t mean that I am going to let the moment get the better of me, I’ll be ready. I have run two 800s this year and have run two personal bests so I really don’t know what kind of shape I am in and I really don’t know what my limits are.
Q: A similar question, since you are still 19, what are your thoughts about the European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava this summer?
A: The European under 23s are a major target for me. At the beginning of this year I sat down with my coach and targeted these championships as being a great opportunity to make the transition from the junior to senior ranks. I will be targeting a medal.
Q: What are you racing plans for the rest of the indoor season?
A: As I didn’t really plan on doing a big indoor season, I am limiting my racing to just the Irish nationals in Belfast on 17 February and then the European indoors in Paris.