McKee hopes for late relay chance

Paul McKee is also hoping to run in Italy on Sunday

Ireland's 4x400 metres relay squad are hoping to be given a last chance to achieve Olympic Games qualification in Lucerne next week.

Swiss-based ex-Irish javelin star Terry McHugh is one of the organisers of the meeting and he is attempting to add a 4x400m race to the schedule.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed," said relay hopeful Paul McKee.

"A few other countries are also still looking to qualify so hopefully the race will happen on 16 July."

Only the top 16 nations in the world rankings will earn a berth in China and the Irish are currently narrowly outside the qualification mark, which is calculated on the average of the team's two best times.

"We had the 3:04.71 in Belgium and then the 3:04.43 at the European Cup when we were miles ahead of everybody else and didn't really have the opposition to push us to the kind of time we needed.

"It was also quite windy at the European Cup so we feel if we get the right conditions, we are capable of running a lot faster and definitely breaking our national record of 3.03.73 which would probably be enough."

McKee returned to Belfast on Sunday after his season's best run of 46.55 for 400m in Madrid on Saturday.

Although I was a bit disappointed at first with 46.55 it was a season's best and a sign of progress Paul McKee

That time was exactly one second outside the mark that he needs to achieve qualification for the individual 400m and the Belfast man is hoping to have another crack at the Beijing standard in Lignano this weekend.

"I know I'm up against it and it's a big ask but I will keep battling away.

"Things didn't go well in Salamanca on Wednesday. There were not one but two very late false starts when I had run about 70 metres both times before we were called back and I didn't feel good when we did get going.

"After that, I was hoping for low 46s in Madrid and although I was a bit disappointed at first with 46.55, it was a season's best and a sign of progress.

McKee also revealed that he is toying with the idea of missing the Irish Championships on 19/20 July in order to compete the same weekend at a European meeting, which would probably offer a better chance of a quick time.

"It's something I'm thinking about although I haven't made any firm decision yet.

"There are meetings in Barcelona and Belgium that weekend and I am also hoping to get into Stockholm a couple of days after that.

"Part of my thinking is that David Gillick may run the 200m at the nationals so the opposition may not be all that strong at Santry and then you have the weather aspect as well."