A promising young Claregalway athlete has become the first person to set a 100m record at the Olympic Stadium in London.
Seventeen-years-old Evan McGuire (17 ) set a time of 11.38 seconds as part of the Powerade On Your Marks event last Thursday, and the Galway City Harrier says it has whetted his appetite.
“It has really shown me what is possible for the future, so hopefully I will be back competing in an Olympic Stadium in the future.”
Maguire was joined by Michael Fennell from Dublin, Cork’s Dennis O’Sullivan, and Anna McIlmoyle from Belfast, along with Powerade ambassador, Irish athlete Derval O’Rourke. The Irish contingent competed against runners of all ages from Britain - all of whom were the first to run 100m in London’s Olympic Stadium ahead of July’s Olympics.
Normally a 400m hurdler, Maguire qualified for the final alongside Dennis O’Sullivan. However it was the Galway youngster who set the pace, a personal best, and became the first person to set a 100m record at the stadium.
“To get the chance to run here was amazing,” he says,” but to be the first person in history to set a 100m record in the Olympic Stadium in London is unbelievable.
“I will always be that person and it is part of the history of the stadium now which is just hard to comprehend. I don’t even run 100m normally as I’m a hurdler, but to come here and run my personal best is just hard to believe, it probably won’t set in for a few days.”
