ELLINGTON KICKS OFF IN DREAMLAND!

JAMES ELLINGTON will be the holder of the Olympic Stadium 100m record when the Olympic Games kick off in July.  He won the UK Athletics 100m showpiece on the track that Usain Bolt has already declared he will break world records on later this year.

James Ellington salutes a 40,000 crowd as he crosses the line first
ahead of second-placed training partner David Bolarinwa
in the Olympic Stadium today.

The special race was staged at the climax of day two of the British Universities Championships, held in the Olymic Stadium as a test event for the games proper.  Ellington clocked 10.30s to set a season's best, but for his Trackspeed1 training squad there was better news to come.

Finishing strongly in second place came training partner David Bolarinwa, making it a sensational one-two for the Crystal Palace-based training group, which produced a smile a mile wide on the face of coach John Powell.

Trackspeed1 coach said he went into dreamland when the result went up
confirming his athletes James Ellington (left) and David Bolarinwa (right)
finished one and two in the first ever event in the Olympic
Stadium earlier today

"That was dreamland," he said, "two of my athletes finishing first and second in the Olympic Stadium in a race of that level?  I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't nodded off when I saw the scoreboard confirm it!  And it was way faster than the championship final, so the stadium record will stand until the Olympics.  Wow - that is quite something to tell your kids when they grow up isn't it!

"We're not getting carried away though.  It was a great confidence booster for both athletes, but there is still alot of work to be done, and improvements made, but we are in a pretty nice place right now."

James Ellington runs again in the Olympic Stadium tomorrow (Sunday 6th) when he contests the UK Athletics invitation 200 metres.  He already has the Olympic qualifying time of 20.59s in the event in which he represented Great Britain in the World Championships last year, but will be looking to re-assert his grip on the event nationally in 2012 as the Olympic trials approach in June.

David Bolarinwa (left) and James Ellington warm up for their
100m n the Olympic Stadium earlier today

James Ellington (arms outstretched) and David Bolarinwa
(on his left) line up for the 100m start in the Olympic stadium