David Gillick

Two-time European indoor champion and Irish 400m record holder

The Irish record holder is a two-time European indoor 400m champion and represented his country at the 2009 World Championships.

Why our rising stars must be handled with kid gloves

How we develop this incredibly exciting batch of young Irish talent is crucial to translating underage success into senior medals.

Athletics • 19 Jul 18

'Some people say young athletes need to be protected from big events like that before they're fully developed, but when you look at global sport there's no shortage of teenagers making first teams at the highest level'

Pressure of intense competition vital for teenage stars

Sophie O'Sullivan and Patience Jumbo-Gula have excelled in their heats, but this week in Hungary is as much about what our young athletes experience away from the track.

Athletics • 06 Jul 18

'To get to Tokyo as a contender, the journey starts this summer.'

Irish can shine at Europeans in problematic 'off year'

The athletics calendar badly needs to be addressed to prevent the sport disappearing from view.

Athletics • 29 Jun 18

If I could say one thing to many of these young athletes it would be that there's no rush – success in this sport happens through many years of consistency, putting long-term development ahead of short-term success.

I fear for Irish athletes without long-term structures

Young talenetd Irish athletes are up against a lack of proper long-term structures and social pressure in their bid to translate success at senior level.

Athletics • 23 Jun 18

'When I was training in Loughborough we would always keep an eye on the NCAA results because you would have young athletes you'd never heard of running phenomenal times'

NCAA graduates like Cléirigh-Buttner are at crossroads

Villanova 800m star Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner needs to decide where her future will take her now that her college career is over. Do you return home or go pro in the United States?

Athletics • 15 Jun 18

Healy showing perfect early form for short 2018 season

Phil Healy's blistering performances in Santry and Thomas Barr's effort in Oslo both auger well for a season that peaks earlier than normal with the European Championships.

Athletics • 12 Jun 18

"The reaction from the organisers has been swift and professional, though you do have to wonder what the response would be if this happened in Rio last year"

World Championships health issues hard to stomach

Here in London, most of the athletics media along with athletes, coaches and team managers have been taking crash courses in the last 24 hours on gastroenteritis, an infection that has wreaked havoc on some of the world's best athletes.

Athletics • 08 Aug 17

Perfect start as Mo Show opens Worlds in London

The first night of the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London hit the right cord, writes David Gillick.

Athletics • 05 Aug 17

Big-stage Bolt to bow out in style

David Gillick is backing Usain Bolt to shrug off an underwhelming season and deliver once again in the high-pressure environment of this weekend's World Championships.

Athletics • 03 Aug 17

'These are the days for athletes to do nothing'

And so begins the final countdown – those nervous final days before the biggest event of the year, a time when you can't conjure up medal-winning form out of nowhere, but if you're not careful you can certainly make your medal chances disappear.

Athletics • 03 Aug 17