Athletics: Doughty Donnelly crosses countries

Simon Turnbull talks to the GB runner waiting for the Irish green light

IT WAS never an easy thing for Dermot Donnelly, running for Great Britain. "Put it this way," he said."If I came back from a trip it would not have been a good idea to hang my British tracksuit out on the line." Hanging dirty kit in public is no longer a worry for Donnelly. As soon as the International Amateur Athletic Federation rubber-stamps the transference of his international allegiance, he will be able to flutter the emerald green of Ireland with an easy mind on washing days in the republican stronghold of West Belfast.

Donnelly last wore a Great Britain vest 12 months ago, in the European Cross Country Championship in Oeiras, Portugal. He could have been in red, white and blue again a week today, when the 1998 championship race takes place at Ferrara, near Venice. He was, after all, the first finisher from the British Isles, behind Kenyans Daniel Gachara and Ben Maiyo, in the Nike International event at Chester-le-Street last weekend. After two selectorial blows below the belt, however, Donnelly has nailed his international colours to the mast of Ireland.

In doing so, the 28-year-old civil servant has cost himself a trip to Ferrara. The one-year suspension he has been obliged to serve does not end until the day after the race. And, in any case, he has to wait for the formality of the IAAF council approving his switch before being cleared to represent Ireland in international competition. "It's just a case of rubber-stamping," Donnelly said, "and hopefully everything will be sorted out by the turn of the year. The main thing is that I'm cleared before March, with the World Cross Country Championship being in Belfast. I'd be gutted if I couldn't compete in them - assuming I would make the Irish team, of course."

And selection is a blessing upon which Donnelly has learned not to count. Being overlooked for this year's World Cross Country Championship and for the European track and field championships in Budapest persuaded the British 10,000m champion that Britain had turned its back on him. "I was left off the world cross country team for John Nuttall, who I actually beat in the trial," he said. "Then I ran the 5,000m qualifying time for the Europeans and was still left off the team. I just couldn't hang around for this to happen to me maybe next year for the world track and field championships or, even worse, for the Olympics the year after.

"The last thing I wanted was to receive a similar phone call telling me, 'Yes, you have run the time. Yes, you have beaten such and such. But no, you're not in the team.' Not that I think Ireland are going to give me any favouritism. I don't expect that. I only want them to be fair."

It is fair to assume that the Irish federation, the Bord Luthcleas na h'Eireann, are fairly chuffed to have suddenly acquired a runner of the quality Donnelly showed when he finished a tantalising 3.2 seconds behind Steve Moneghetti, and a bronze medal, in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m final two months ago. They could have hardly expected another gifted Ulsterman to land in their lap so soon after the brilliant James McIlroy was allowed to slip through the British net. McIlroy accepted the invitation to run for Ireland six months ago, having been ignored by the Great Britain and Northern Ireland selectors. He finished fourth in the European Championship 800m final in August.

"I think it's careless to lose the two of us," Donnelly said. "But, to be honest, James is a hell of a bigger loss than I am." Nevertheless, losing a man good enough to give Moneghetti a run for his major championship medal is a luxury British middle- and long-distance running can ill afford. Malcolm Brown, Britain's national event coach for 5,000m, 10,000m and cross country, would doubtless agree. He happens to be the guru who guides Dermot Donnelly, Britain's latest loss and Ireland's latest gain.