David Gillick

David Gillick

David Gillick during 2010 World indoors
Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Representing  Ireland
World Indoor Championship
2004 Budapest 4x400 metre relay
European Indoor Championships
2005 Madrid 400 m
2007 Birmingham 400 m

David Gillick (born 9 July 1983 in Dublin) 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.

Career

Gillick first ran for Ireland 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.[1] 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.[2]

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.

Other

In 2013 he competed in Celebrity MasterChef Ireland and won the competition.[3]

Major Medals (3)

Bronze - 4x400 metres relay (3:10.44)

Gold - 400 metres (46.30)

Gold - 400 metres (45.52 NR, EL)

Performance at major championships

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Ireland
2002 World Junior Championships Kingston, Jamaica 14th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:13.45
2003 European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 23rd (h) 400m 47.67
2009 World Athletics Championships Berlin, Germany 6th 400 m 45.53
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar — 400 m DQ
European Athletics Championships Barcelona, Spain 5th 400 m 45.28

Records (1)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gillick progresses to semi-final". RTÉ Sport. 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  2. ↑ "Gillick sixth in 400m final". RTÉ Sport. 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Champion athlete David Gillick is runaway winner of Celebrity Masterchef". Irish Mirror. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
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