Athletics Ireland has announced a 30-strong team for the 20th European Athletics Championships in Barcelona from 27th July to 1st August. The team consists of 30 athletes and includes three relay teams.
Final selection for the team will be announced on July 27th.
The squad was selected following last weekend’s Woodie’s DIY AAI Senior Track and Field Championships in Santry. The team will feature all of Ireland’s top athletes including David Gillick, who will run in the 400m, Derval O’Rourke, who will compete in the 100m Hurdles and Paul Hession in the 100m and 200m.
World silver medallist Olive Loughnane is also listed in the squad despite having to pull out of the National Championships on medical advice, as a precaution. She is now cleared to compete and is optimistic ahead of the championships.
Gordon Kennedy is also listed in the team and will compete in the 400m after he achieved the qualification time in Santry yesterday. Paralympian Jason Smyth is also named in the squad and will compete in the 100m pending medical clearance on a minor injury. A new addition to the Irish team is Pole Vaulter, Tori Pena, who won the event at the National Championships on Saturday.
Irish team manager Patsy McGonagle is confident of bringing home some medals from Barcelona. “We are delighted with the initial team selection for Barcelona. We targeted improvements from Gothenburg 2 years ago and this now seems to be coming to fruition. This strength of athletics in Ireland was clearly evident at this year’s European Team Championships where we dominated on the track and maintained our Division 1 status. All the signs look positive as the clock ticks down towards London 2012. A major bonus this year is the inclusion of 3 relay teams. This clearly indicates that our sprinters are prepared to step and make their presence felt.” McGonagle said.
Liam Hennessy, President of Athletics Ireland, is looking forward to the Championships. “The European Championships have been the focus for all these athletes since last year’s World Championships. They have been training towards this all year and they are in great condition from what we saw at Santry over the weekend. Barcelona is a fantastic venue for the event and we should see some really exciting performances from the Irish team.”
The European Championships take place in Olympic Stadium in Barcelona from the 27th July to 1st August. For more information log on to www.athleticsireland.ie .
Athletics Ireland – Irish Team
European Championships – Barcelona – 27th July to 1st August
| Men | Club | Event | Women | Club |
| Jason Smyth* | City of Derry | 100m | ||
| Paul Hession | Athenry AC | 100m | ||
| Paul Hession | Athenry AC | 200m | Niamh Whelan | Ferrybank AC |
| 200m | Joanne Cuddihy | Kilkenny City Harriers | ||
| David Gillick | Dundrum South Dublin AC | 400m | Joanne Cuddihy | Kilkenny City Harriers |
| Gordon Kennedy | Tullamore Harriers | 400m | ||
| Brian Gregan | Clonliffe Harriers | 400m | ||
| David McCarthy | Le Cheile AC | 800m | Roseanne Galligan | Newbridge AC |
| Thomas Chamney | Crusaders AC | 800m | ||
| Thomas Chamney | Crusaders AC | 1,500m | ||
| Alistair Cragg | Clonliffe Harriers | 1,500m | ||
| Alistair Cragg | Clonliffe Harriers | 5,000m | ||
| Mark Christie | Mullingar Harriers | 5,000m | ||
| 100m Hurdles | Derval O’Rourke | Leevale AC | ||
| 400m Hurdles | Michelle Carey | Dublin Striders | ||
| 400m Hurdles | Justine Kinney | Loughborough | ||
| 400m Hurdles | Brona Furlong | Slaney Olympic | ||
| 3,000m SC | Fionnuala Britton | Slí Cualann | ||
| 3,000m SC | Stephanie Reilly | Slí Cualann | ||
| High Jump | Deirdre Ryan | Dundrum South Dublin AC | ||
| Long Jump | Kelly Proper | Ferrybank AC | ||
| Pole Vault | Tori Pena † | Finn Valley AC | ||
| Robert Heffernan | Togher AC | 20k Walk | Olive Loughnane | Loughrea AC |
| Jamie Costin | West Waterford AC | 20k Walk | ||
| Robert Heffernan | Togher AC | 50k Walk | ||
| 4X100m Relay | Ailis McSweeney Amy Foster Claire Brady Derval O’Rourke Niamh Whelan Kelly Proper |
Leevale AC North Down AC Celbridge AC Leevale AC Ferrybank AC Ferrybank AC |
||
| David Gillick Gordon Kennedy Brian Gregan Brian Murphy David McCarthy |
Dundrum South Dublin AC Tullamore Harriers Clonliffe Harriers UCC AC Le Cheile AC |
4X400m | Joanne Cuddihy Michelle Carey Justine Kinney Brona Furlong Marian Heffernan Claire Bergin |
Kilkenny City Harriers Dublin Striders Loughborough Slaney Olympic Togher AC Dundrum South Dublin AC |
† subject to IAAF clarification under rule 5
