from Jeremy Lyons Athletics Ireland has announced the Irish team for the European Indoor Championship in Turin in March. The fourteen strong team includes Olympic semi-finalist Paul Hession, former World Indoor Champion Derval O’ Rourke and Olympic Finalist Roisin McGettigan. It also has some rising stars with long jumper Kelly Proper the most notable. The Ferrybank woman has had a great start to the season equalling her Irish indoor long jump record and also taking the scalp of Christine Ohuruogu over 200m in the recent Irish Indoor Championships.
Mary Cullen is catching up on missing most of last season with injury by following up her great cross-country season with an attempt at pushing for an indoor medal and has already run a fast outdoor race in Australia last month. The inclusion of the 4 x 400 women’s relay team is also a positive and shows the depth that is now coming into the event as the team doesn’t include three members of last season’s outdoor team but the quintet of Marian Andrews, Brona Furlong, Gemma Hynes, Claire Bergin and Christine McMahon will gain massive exposure and experience on the big stage.
On the release of the team, Athletics Ireland CEO Mary Coghlan commented “This Irish team is a combination of experienced and emerging athletes. For many athletes on the team this will be their first time to compete at a major senior championships and this will act as an important development experience for them. In the past we have been very successful at these championships and we can expect to again have some exciting performances and the possibility of bringing home medals”.
Defending 400m champion is widely anticipated to be added to the team as he chases an historic 3rd European title in a row which would be a fantastic achievement for the Ballinteer man and the stories coming from his training camp in Loughborough are that the DSD clubman is in good shape.
Full Report and Team from AAI Website
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