from RTE Sport news website Ireland’s top athletes will begin their quest for medals early tomorrow morning when the European Indoor Track and Field Championships begin at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy. First up for the Irish is Derval O’Rourke as she takes to the track in the heats of the 60m Hurdles. In Prague two weeks ago she broke the eight-second mark for the first time since 2006 and is ranked joint third in European heading into the Championships.
The Leevale athlete is looking forward to the championships, saying: ‘I am completely focused on Friday. So far this year, even in Prague, not everything went right for me. There were little things that I wasn’t happy with compared to how training has been going so if I can get those right hopefully I can do well.’
Double European Indoor champion David Gillick will also be on the track tomorrow as he begins the defence of his 400m crown. Gillick had one run this season in Dusseldorf and that has ranked him third in Europe ahead of the event. However he will face still competition from home favourite Claudio Licciardello, who is ranked number one.
After a disappointing Olympics Gillick is looking to get out there again and isn’t caught up with making history by completing a treble of titles. He said: ‘I’m looking forward to getting out and competing. I’m not thinking about previous years, this is a new year and I have to prove myself all over again and I’m just can’t wait to see what I can do out there.’
Some of the other Irish athletes in action on Day One in the Oval Lingotto include Pole Vaulter Zoe Brown and Long Jumper Kelly Proper. Brown broke the Irish record three weekends in a row and is in a confident mood ahead of her first performance at a major championship.
Proper is one of Ireland’s up-and-coming athletes and holds the Irish record indoor and outdoor at Junior, U-23 and Senior level making her Ireland’s most accomplished long jumper but in her first major international senior outing she will be looking to put in a good performance.
One athlete who everyone will have their eyes on during the Indoor Championships is Mary Cullen. The Sligo born athlete is on top form at the moment after a couple of years where she struggled with injuries. She was close to medalling at the European Cross Country Championship late last year, finishing fourth and three weeks ago she broke Sonia O’Sullivan’s 3000m Irish indoor record.
Cullen, who is coached by Ray Treacy in Providence in the US, is in relaxed mood about her chances in Turin: ‘I have been here since last Saturday and the jetlag has worn off so I am feeling good. I had my last workout on Monday and everything went well so I’m fairly relaxed about competing on Saturday.
‘I want to get stuck in like I did I Brussels but I know that if I am going to medal I need everything to go right for me but that is my target and we will see how it goes,’ Cullen said.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2009/0305/athletics.html
