Mottram and McConnell launch 2007 Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup Scottish Athletics June 29, 2007
The
Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup launched for 2007 with Australia's greatest
ever 5000m runner Craig Mottram, and Scotland's Commonwealth Games 400m
hurdles silver medallist Lee McConnell, at the Falkirk Wheel today,
Friday June 29th.
The event, which will have a total prize purse of $24,000, will take place on Tuesday July 31st at Grangemouth Stadium.
Mottram,
Commonwealth 5000m silver medallist and World Cup winner over 3000m
will compete in the Bank of Scotland Dream Mile as part of the
finishing touches to his World Championships preparation. "You can
expect sub-4 minutes", he said.
"Scotland is a fantastic place
to compete, and having raced up here, I know how much the Scots get
behind their athletes. I was really disappointed to miss the winter
cross country race in January, so hopefully this will give me the
opportunity to get the Scottish support behind me. I might need it for
next year's World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh."
McConnell, who captained the Scottish team to victory in the 2006 event is delighted to see the competition return for 2007.
"It's
a great event and an amazing opportunity for Scottish athletes to wear
the Scottish vest with pride, in Scotland and live on Sky TV," she said.
"If we get a good day, it'll give me a great opportunity to have a go at the Scottish 200m record."
"We
had a strong team last year and managed to hold off Wales and Ireland
for the inaugural title. I'm sure all the Scottish team athletes will
agree that we want to retain the Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup this year
- and in the future. It's never been outside Scotland yet. Let's keep
it that way."
Karen Tighe, Group Sponsorship, Bank of Scotland, said:
"We're delighted to be title sponsors of the Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup 2007.
"We
recently announced the renewal of our long-standing sponsorship
agreement with scottishathletics worth more than £400,000 over the next
three years and the Bank of Scotland Celtic Cup encapsulates the
essence of that agreement.
"The event showcases Scottish talent
from regional squad development level right through to elite
performance and demonstrates the pathways scottishathletics have put in
place to ensure that our athletes can fulfil their potential.
"The
new Bank of Scotland National Squad was launched in late May with the
support of World and Olympic 400m champion, USA star Jeremy Wariner.
His appearance, which has been preceded by other top names such as
Merlene Ottey, Haile Gebrselassie and Darren Campbell, underlines the
standard we are aiming for in Scotland. We want our athletes to be
among the best and competing in a Scottish vest on home turf will not
only be a huge honour for our current athletes, but also a fantastic
opportunity to inspire future generations of talented young athletes."
