Athletics Ireland – News – O’Rourke and Gillick Lead Irish Team at European Team Championships

Derval O'Rourke (Leevale AC) and David Gillick (Dundrum South Dublin AC) will lead the Irish Team in the First League at the European Team Championships in Izmir Turkey on the 18th and 19th of June. Ireland, who finished in eighth place of eleven teams last year, will be pushing for a similar position this year.

Ireland will compete against, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. Patsy McGonagle team manager said "The team includes both our experienced elite athletes and up and coming stars. It will be an exciting challenge to stay up in the top eight. We know from previous years how the team fights for every point and no doubt the team will deliver the same effort this year."

This will be the first outing this season over the 100m Hurdles for European Silver Medallist, O'Rourke, her training partner Ian McDonald (Crusaders AC) will compete in the Men's 110m Hurdles. Gillick will fly back from his training base in Florida to compete in these championships. The Dublin man plans to compete in the 400m in Clermont Florida and the New York Diamond League prior to this event.

Irish Record Holder Ailis McSweeney (Leevale AC) will line up in the women's 100m, with Jason Smyth (City of Derry AC) who set a new Personal Best of 10.22 in Clermont Florida in May, competing in the men's 100m. In the 200m, Paul Hession (Athenry AC) will be looking to improve on the 21.06 he set at the Diamond League meet in Rome.

Jessie Barr (Ferrybank AC) will compete in the women's 400m hurdles. Barr achieved the European U23 qualification standard, at the European Clubs in Belgrade last weekend running 58.19. Michelle Carey (Dublin Striders AC) will switch from her usual 400m hurdles to the 400m flat. Timmy Crowe (Dooneen AC) will be seeking the European U23 Championships standard in the Men's 400m Hurdles, having narrowly finished outside the qualification standard at the Woodie's DIY/AAI Games.

In the middle distance events, Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) will compete in the 1500m. The Irish Junior Record Holder makes her season debut at the Irish Miler's 800m at the AVIVA Irish Schools this coming weekend. Rory Chesser (Ennis Track AC) who recently set a personal best in 3000m of 8.05.95 will run in the men's 1500m. Roseanne Galligan (Newbridge AC) who ran a season's best of 2.05.25 in Watford in mid-May will line up in the 800m, with the talented Darren McBearty (Letterkenny AC) competing in the men's event.

Former European Indoor Bronze Medallist Mary Cullen (North Sligo AC) and Ciaran O'Lionaird (Leevale AC) will compete in the 3000m. O'Lionaird has returned to exceptional form of late setting personal bests in both the 1500m and 5000m and reaching the up and coming NCAA finals in the 10,000m.

Stephanie O'Reilly (Sli Cualann AC), who competed in her first major International Championships last year at the European Track and Field Championships, will compete in the 3000m Steeplechase. David Flynn (Clonliffe Harriers) who ran a personal best this season of 8:52.19 to achieve the European U23 qualification standard will compete in the men's event.

Fionnuala Britton (Kilcoole AC) will compete the 5000m after achieving a personal best in the event at the FBK Games in Hengelo on Wednesday night of 15.31.26. John Travers (Donore Harriers) who has run a personal best in both the 3000m of 8.08.93 and 1500m 3:42.07 this season will compete in the men's event.

Irish Record Holders will be out in force in the jumps events. Kelly Proper (Ferrybank AC) will compete in the Long Jump, Tori Pena (Finn Valley AC) and Brian McGovern (Ballinamore AC) in the Pole Vault and Deirdre Ryan (Dundrum South Dublin AC) will compete in the High jump. The talented U23 athlete, Kourosh Foroughi (Star of the Sea) who recently won the German University Championships at Darmstadt clearing 2.18m, will compete in the Men's High Jump. Ireland will be represented in the Triple Jump by Mary McLoone (Tir Chonaill) and Alan Kennedy (Abbey AC), while David Quillgan (Leevale AC) will compete in the men's Long Jump.

Colin Quirke (Crusauders AC) who recently achieved the U23 qualification will compete in the Discus. Quirke will be joined in the throws by seasoned campaigners, Sean Breathnach (Galway City Harriers) in the Shot Putt and Padraig White (Dunboyne AC) in the Hammer. Ireland will be represented in the Javelin by Anita Fitzgibbon (Dundrum South Dublin) and David Kelly (Sli Cualann A.C.). Irish Junior Record Holder Cara Kennedy (Ferrybank AC) will compete in the Hammer, while Claire Fitzgerald (Tralee Harriers) who has broken many underage records will compete in both the Shott Putt and Discus.

The Irish women's World Championships bound 4×100m, who are coached by Terri Cahill will be selected from Amy Foster (North Down AC), who will also compete in the 200m, Niamh Whelan (Ferrybank AC), Claire Brady (Celbridge AC) and Ailis McSweeney (Leevale AC) and Derval O'Rourke (Leevale AC). The overall goal for the talented and highly ambitious squad is to achieve the qualification time of 43.50 for the London Olympics 2012, the current record is 43.93

Team Manager: Patsy McGonagle
Coaching Staff:
Stephen Maguire
Sean Cahill
Stuart Hogg
David Sweeney
Michael McDonnell
John Coghlan

European-Team-Championships-Team-2011

Athletics Ireland – News –

 

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