David Gillick
Encyclopedia
David Gillick is an Irish
international track and field athlete. David began his education in Our Lady's Boys School and attended St.Benildus College secondary school in Kilmacud. He studied at Dublin Institute of Technology
before moving to Loughborough to train as a full time athlete with coach Nick Dakin. Gillick specializes in the 400 metres and he won the European Indoor Championship in 2005 and 2007, as well as the Irish National Outdoor Championship in 2006 & 2007. He set the Irish Indoor record of 45.52 seconds in the 2007 final. The time also beat the Irish outdoor record of 45.58 and was within the Olympic 'A' qualifying standard for the 2008 Games. On 4 July 2009 he ran 44.77 seconds in a race in Madrid to set a new national record. He is also the 2009 Irish national 200 m champion.
at the European Athletics U23 Championships
in 2003, however it was not a successful international debut for Gillick. At the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Gillick won a bronze medal as part of the Irish 4x400 metres relay
team (along with Robert Daly
, David McCarthy and Gary Ryan
). Despite improving his personal best, Gillick did not qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
When he was young he lived in Ballinteer and played football for Ballinteer St John's GAA Club.
He was educated at Our Lady's National School in Ballinteer and then St. Benildus College, Kilmacud.
In the 2005 European Indoor Championships
Gillick produced two outstanding runs to first win his heat and then win the Gold Medal in a personal best time of 46.30, beating the favourite, Spain
's David Canal
, into second place. It was Ireland's First gold medal in a sprinting event in 75 years. Injury forced Gillick to miss the 2005 World outdoor Championships
.
In 2006, Gillick again suffered an injury hit season but did win the Irish National 400 m Championship in a time of 45.67. He also won the Irish National Indoor 200 m Championship (21.45). He qualified with ease through the first round at the 2006 European Championships
before running poorly in his semi-final and being eliminated.
In October 2006, Gillick became a full-time athlete and relocated to Loughborough in the English midlands to link up with English 400 m coach Nick Dakin and a group that included a number of top British 400 m athletes. Loughborough University has a great tradition in athletics and is viewed by many as one of Europe's top sporting universities.
Early in 2007, Gillick ran a time of 45.91s at an indoor meeting in Düsseldorf
, a performance which made him the world leader over 400 m indoors and bettered the Irish Record, previously held by Belfast's
Paul McKee. In March 2007, he successfully defended his European Indoor title, running a new Irish record of 45.52s.
On 4 July 2009 Gillick won at the Meeting de Madrid, which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2009. His time of 44.77 sliced a significant amount off his previous Irish record of 45.12 to set a new Irish outdoor record. He followed this up with 2nd place (44.82) at the Golden League meet in Rome.
At the World Athletics Championships
in Berlin in August 2009, Gillick qualified for the semi-finals of the men's 400 m
after he finished second in his heat in a time of 45.54. In the semi-final Gillick placed fourth in a time of 44.88, which was good enough to make the World Championship final as the second fastest loser. In the final he finished 6th in a time of 45.53.
Gillick followed up with 2 good runs in the 2009 IAAF Golden League meetings in Zurich & Brussels. He finished 4th in 45.25 behind world champion LaShawn Merritt
in the Weltklasse. A week later, he finished 4th in 45.73 behind Jeremy Wariner
in Brussels. Gillick finished the Golden League series with 30 points & finished in 4th position.
In the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Gillick was the second fastest qualifier in both the heats & semi-finals but finished 5th in the final and was later disqualified as a result of a collision with the American Bershawn Jackson
with 200 metres to go. At the European outdoors that year he became the first Irishman to reach the final of the 400m where he again finished 5th.
Bronze - 4x400 metres relay (3:10.44)
Gold - 400 metres (46.30)
Gold - 400 metres (45.52 NR, EL)
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
international track and field athlete. David began his education in Our Lady's Boys School and attended St.Benildus College secondary school in Kilmacud. He studied at Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology
Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...
before moving to Loughborough to train as a full time athlete with coach Nick Dakin. Gillick specializes in the 400 metres and he won the European Indoor Championship in 2005 and 2007, as well as the Irish National Outdoor Championship in 2006 & 2007. He set the Irish Indoor record of 45.52 seconds in the 2007 final. The time also beat the Irish outdoor record of 45.58 and was within the Olympic 'A' qualifying standard for the 2008 Games. On 4 July 2009 he ran 44.77 seconds in a race in Madrid to set a new national record. He is also the 2009 Irish national 200 m champion.
Career
Gillick first ran for IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at the European Athletics U23 Championships
European Athletics U23 Championships
The European Athletics U23 Championships is a biennial athletics competition for European athletes under the age of 23, which is organized by the European Athletic Association...
in 2003, however it was not a successful international debut for Gillick. At the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...
Gillick won a bronze medal as part of the Irish 4x400 metres relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
team (along with Robert Daly
Robert Daly (sprinter)
Robert Daly is an Irish sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.Daly won the bronze medal in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, together with teammates Gary Ryan, David Gillick and David McCarthy....
, David McCarthy and Gary Ryan
Gary Ryan
Gary Ryan is a former Irish sprinter who specialised in the 200 metres. On retirement he worked for the Irish athletics association as Director of Coaching before leaving in January, 2009 for a position with the National University of Ireland, Galway.Ryan won the bronze medal in 4 x 400 metres...
). Despite improving his personal best, Gillick did not qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
When he was young he lived in Ballinteer and played football for Ballinteer St John's GAA Club.
He was educated at Our Lady's National School in Ballinteer and then St. Benildus College, Kilmacud.
In the 2005 European Indoor Championships
2005 European Indoor Athletics Championships
The 28th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, the capital city of Spain, from Friday, 4 March to Sunday, 6 March 2005.-Men:...
Gillick produced two outstanding runs to first win his heat and then win the Gold Medal in a personal best time of 46.30, beating the favourite, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's David Canal
David Canal
David Canal Valero is a Spanish sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*100 metres - 10.53 s *200 metres - 20.68 s *400 metres - 45.01 s...
, into second place. It was Ireland's First gold medal in a sprinting event in 75 years. Injury forced Gillick to miss the 2005 World outdoor Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
.
In 2006, Gillick again suffered an injury hit season but did win the Irish National 400 m Championship in a time of 45.67. He also won the Irish National Indoor 200 m Championship (21.45). He qualified with ease through the first round at the 2006 European Championships
2006 European Championships in Athletics
The 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...
before running poorly in his semi-final and being eliminated.
In October 2006, Gillick became a full-time athlete and relocated to Loughborough in the English midlands to link up with English 400 m coach Nick Dakin and a group that included a number of top British 400 m athletes. Loughborough University has a great tradition in athletics and is viewed by many as one of Europe's top sporting universities.
Early in 2007, Gillick ran a time of 45.91s at an indoor meeting in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, a performance which made him the world leader over 400 m indoors and bettered the Irish Record, previously held by Belfast's
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
Paul McKee. In March 2007, he successfully defended his European Indoor title, running a new Irish record of 45.52s.
On 4 July 2009 Gillick won at the Meeting de Madrid, which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2009. His time of 44.77 sliced a significant amount off his previous Irish record of 45.12 to set a new Irish outdoor record. He followed this up with 2nd place (44.82) at the Golden League meet in Rome.
At the World Athletics Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin in August 2009, Gillick qualified for the semi-finals of the men's 400 m
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres
The men's 400 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 18, 19 and 21 August.The United States had a strong tradition in the event, with an American topping the Olympic 400 m podium every time since the 1988 Olympics. Similar to the 2007 World...
after he finished second in his heat in a time of 45.54. In the semi-final Gillick placed fourth in a time of 44.88, which was good enough to make the World Championship final as the second fastest loser. In the final he finished 6th in a time of 45.53.
Gillick followed up with 2 good runs in the 2009 IAAF Golden League meetings in Zurich & Brussels. He finished 4th in 45.25 behind world champion LaShawn Merritt
LaShawn Merritt
LaShawn Merritt is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 meters. He is the reigning Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.75 seconds makes him the fifth fastest of all time...
in the Weltklasse. A week later, he finished 4th in 45.73 behind Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Wariner
Jeremy Mathew Wariner is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals...
in Brussels. Gillick finished the Golden League series with 30 points & finished in 4th position.
In the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
Gillick was the second fastest qualifier in both the heats & semi-finals but finished 5th in the final and was later disqualified as a result of a collision with the American Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...
with 200 metres to go. At the European outdoors that year he became the first Irishman to reach the final of the 400m where he again finished 5th.
Major Medals (3)
- 2004 World Indoor Championship (Budapest)2004 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...
Bronze - 4x400 metres relay (3:10.44)- 2005 European Indoor Championships (Madrid)2005 European Indoor Athletics ChampionshipsThe 28th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, the capital city of Spain, from Friday, 4 March to Sunday, 6 March 2005.-Men:...
Gold - 400 metres (46.30)- 2007 European Indoor Championships (Birmingham)
Gold - 400 metres (45.52 NR, EL)Performance at major championships
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | World Athletics Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate.... |
Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
6th | 400 m 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 18, 19 and 21 August.The United States had a strong tradition in the event, with an American topping the Olympic 400 m podium every time since the 1988 Olympics. Similar to the 2007 World... |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:... |
Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... , Qatar Qatar Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its... |
DQ | 400 m 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships will be held at the ASPIRE Dome on 12 and 13 March.-Medalists:-Records:-Qualification standards:-Schedule:-Heats:... |
| European Athletics Championships | Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
5th | 400 m 2010 European Athletics Championships – Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on 27, 28 and 30 July.-Medalists:-Records:-Schedule:-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-Heat 4:-Heat 5:-Summary:-Semifinal 1:... |
|
Records (1)
- National records:
- 400 m outdoor: 44.77 (4/7/2009 in Madrid, Spain)
- 400 m indoor: 45.52 (5/3/2007 in Birmingham, England), (20/2/2010 in Birmingham, England)
See also
- Ireland at the 2006 European Championships in AthleticsIreland at the 2006 European Championships in AthleticsIreland competed at the 2006 European Athletics Championships held in Sweden. Derval O'Rourke's silver medal, combined with a new national record, in the 100 metre hurdles was the highlight of the championship, which also saw a new women's 4 x 100 m relay national record and a national record...
- Ireland at the 2009 World Championships in AthleticsIreland at the 2009 World Championships in AthleticsIreland will compete at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August. A team of 14 athletes was announced in preparation for the competition. Selected athletes have achieved one of the competition's qualifying standards...
External links
- IAAF profile
- David's info page,blog,photos, etc DavidGillick.com
- http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/Outdoor%20ROH.pdf List of Irish Athletics National Champions
- David Gillick David Gillick on YouTube
- Irish Boys run Well Article on Gillick and (Alistair Cragg) - Sunday Times, March 6, 2005
- David Gillick Wins First Irish Sprint Gold in 73 Years Irish Runner.com
- Profile on Athletics Ireland
- Irish Runner Link Irish Runner link
- Image
- http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=8253 on Athletics Ireland
