Commonwealth stadium clears first hurdle

Fireworks will explode over the City of Manchester Stadium on 25 July, and a ceremony has been promised that will "celebrate Manchester's urban culture". Relief was the only emotion yesterday, though, as Manchester's usual welcome failed to materialise. Not that the forecast rain would have dampened the spirits of the first-footers at the sparkling new arena that will officially be opened at the same time as the Mancunian Commonwealth Games in two months' time.

The young runners, jumpers and throwers taking part in the opening day of the North of England junior track-and-field championships savoured their moment as the first athletes to compete on the red carpet of track that has been laid with Cathy Freeman, Paula Radcliffe and Co in mind. The £90m stadium has already been used once, for an under-15s rugby tournament three weeks ago, but the two entrants who lined up for the under-17 boys' 400m hurdles final at 11am yesterday were the first to tread competitively on Manchester's Commonwealth track.

Kieran Flannery of Gateshead Harriers and Ben Ambler of Bingley got to their marks with barely a thousand spectators – the majority of them athletes, coaches and parents – sitting in the 38,000-seat arena. When the gun sounded, it was Flannery who rose to the occasion, forging into an early lead and pulling away to record a clear victory. His time, a highly impressive 57.89sec, was a personal best by one and a half seconds. The young Tynesider had clearly been inspired by his experience in the Commonwealth stadium.

"I felt quite nervous, with it being such a big open arena out there," Flannery said. "But it feels really good to have won. It's my first win in any big competition."

And now the 15-year-old pupil of Newcastle's Royal Grammar School can look forward to watching all the big-name Commonwealth Games winners following in his own footsteps in July. "Yeah, that'll be good," he mused. "I am coming back for the Games. I've already bought the tickets."

The winner of the third race on the programme yesterday, though, was following in the footsteps of a Commonwealth Games medal-winner. Not that Ryan McLeod, having eased to victory in the opening heat of the under-20 men's 1500m, could recall having seen the bronze 10,000m medal his famous father, Mike McLeod, won in Edmonton 24 years ago. "I don't think I have," he said. "My dad's medals are all in a bag in the loft, I think. He's not bothered about showing them off. I have seen a few of his races on video, but I haven't seen any from the Commonwealth Games."

McLeod Snr competed in three Commonwealth Games in his running days as 'the Elswick express' or 'Mick the kick,' as he was dubbed for his fearsome turn of speed. He ran for England in Edmonton in 1978, in Brisbane in 1982 and in Edinburgh in 1986.

"I have to say this is quite impressive," the great Geordie said, comparing Manchester's Commonwealth stadium to those in which he raced. "It's a shame that the track is going to be ripped up and the stadium just used for football." It is indeed. Two days after the Games close, work will begin on removing the track to make room for 10,000 more seats in readiness for Manchester City FC taking occupancy of the stadium a year from now. The seats are already the club's sky blue colour and a flag bearing the crest was displayed in the south stand yesterday – by one City fan taking the chance to get a feel for the place.

"The pity is it would be an ideal home for British athletics," Mike McLeod added. "If you go abroad they have football stadiums with tracks. We should be able to have a facility where the track can be retracted from around the pitch and extra seating put in its place. I don't see why we can't do that, for the sake of the sport and for the sake of the juniors who are coming through."

At least the Commonwealth veteran had the satisfaction of seeing his junior protégé come through to win a bronze medal of his own on the temporary Manchester track yesterday afternoon. McLeod coaches his 16-year-old son and has done a good job, too, judging by the astutely paced run that took Ryan to third place in the final, in 3min 58.00sec, a personal best. Whether he can guide him all the way from a Commonwealth track to a Commonwealth Games remains to be seen, but one Northern junior will be making that very transition in the next eight weeks.

Today Martin Aram defends his title in the under-20 men's high jump. In July he will be back in the City of Manchester Stadium, competing with the Commonwealth's best. The 18-year-old schoolboy has been picked in a three-strong track-and-field team from the Isle of Man.