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Preliminary Selections Made for the
European Indoor Championships
8 February 2005
On foot of a high quality National
Indoor Championships in Nenagh over the weekend, Athletics Ireland
are pleased to announce that Alistair Cragg will lead the Irish team
at the forthcoming European Indoor Championships in Madrid on March
4-6 2005.
Cragg, the only European to qualify for last summer's Olympic 5,000m
final in Athens, currently leads the World lists with his 7:39.89
winning performance over
Kenenisa Bekele
in Boston last weekend and will start
the race as hot favourite.
The men's 400m sees the full quota of Irish athletes, led by the
superbly talented David Gillick whose season's best of 47.28 sees
him ranked 8th in Europe for 2005.
Paul Hession and Paul Brizzel make a formidable duo in the 200m with
every chance that one if not both could make the final.
Leevale pair Ailis McSweeney and Derval O'Rourke are the sole female
track qualifiers so far, while UCD's Deirdre Ryan could make history
by becoming the first Irish female field eventer to make a major
championship indoor final in the High Jump.
Peter Coghlan, Emily Maher, Adrian O'Dwyer, and Jer O'Donoghue are
all closing in on their respective standards and are expected to be
added to the team at a later date, subject to the standards being
achieved.
Mark Carroll is as yet undecided as to whether he will compete or
not, but the 2000 Champion will be given every opportunity by the
Association to make his mind up closer to the event.
Preliminary Selections:
Ailis McSweeney (Leevale) 60m 7.39 Bratislava 30/01/05
Derval O'Rourke (Leevale) 60m Hurdles 8.15 Budapest 28/01/05
Deirdre Ryan (UCD) High Jump 1.90 Glasgow 23/01/05
Paul Hession (Athenry)200m 21.12 Birmingham 30/01/05
Paul Brizzel (Ballymena & Antrim) 200m 21.32 Ghent 06/02/05
David Gillick (DSD)400m 47.28 Glasgow 23/01/05
David McCarthy (Le Chrile)400m 47.32 Birmingham 30/01/05
Robert Daly (DSD)400m 47.57 Birmingham 29/01/05
Alistair Cragg (Clonliffe Harriers) 3000m 7:39.89 Boston 29/01/05
http://www.madrid2005.org/
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