Gill out of Belfast meet but top Canadian signs up

World-class Canadian athlete Gabriela DeBues-Stafford has been added to the Belfast Irish Milers Meet entries despite the pressure of English star Phoebe Gill’s decision to withdraw from the event’s schedule.

Gill, a 17-year-old at the time, set a new record for the under-18 age group by breaking the 45-year-old European under-18 record by clocking one minute 57.86 to claim a runaway 800m victory at the Belfast meeting last year.

The St. Albans runner, who won the UK Olympic trials before making it to the semi-finals of the Paris Games, was scheduled to run the 1500-meter race in Belfast on May 10 but had to miss the Mary Peters Track due to injury.

After having an incredible impact last year, meeting director Eamonn Christie said, “Phoebe has said she intends to be back in Belfast in 2026.”

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, who won the 3, 000-meter race in her second Olympics, is the most recent addition to the meet despite losing Phoebe. She finished fifth in the 1500-meter race in Tokyo.

The Canadian, who is currently being trained in Edinburgh by Mark Rowland, a 1988 Olympic 3, 000m steeplechase medalist, had a shaky 2022 and 2023 campaign. She is now very much on the rebound after missing out on last year’s competition in Paris.

“Gabriela’s 3, 000m personal best is a very quick 8: 33.92, and she wants to hit that pace on May 10,” Christie said. “I’m sorting the pacemakers so she has every chance to do that,” Christie said.

She contacted me to ask if she could reserve a spot after learning about the meeting, and I’m only too happy to accommodate an athlete of this caliber.

Other notable names will compete in Belfast, including British Olympic relay champion Sam Reardon, who also holds a double Olympic medal from Paris.

Callum Dodds, a former world champion, and his fellow Great Britain internationals Daniel Rowden and Tom Randolph will compete in the men’s 800m field, while the 21-year-old will compete over the 400m.

Dodds broke the record for one minute and 45 seconds at the meet for the first time, beating Randolph, who also went under the mark of one minute 45, but Rowden will be the fastest man on personal bests in the 800-meter field thanks to his personal best of 1: 43.95 from 2023.