Ahtletics World Championships:Athletics Ireland sprung no surprises when this morning announcing the 14-strong team to travel to Berlin ahead of the World Championships (August 15th – 23rd). The experienced team includes David Gillick, Derval O'Rourke, Paul Hession, Eileen O'Keeffe and Robert Heffernan.
Thomas Chamney, who beat rival David Campbell to the 800m title at the national championships in Santry at the weekend, is also included and will take part in the 1,500m in Germany as well - despite Campbell taking the that title ahead of him at the Morton Stadium.
Wicklow’s Deirdre Byrne, who won 1,500 metres in 4.25.41 at the weekend, Deirdre Ryan of Dundrum (high jump) and fellow Dubliner Michelle Carey (400m hurdles) are named after achieving the B-standard.
South African-born Alistair Cragg of Clonliffe Harriers will travel after winning the men’s 1,500m.
The hopes, however, will be pinned to Gillick in the 400m and Hession in the 200m, both of whom have had very promising seasons thus far.
Former European indoor champion Gillick broke the 45 second barrier in Madrid recently when setting a new national record.
Hession pulled out of Santry at the weekend after feeling a cold coming on but is expected to fit and ready by next week. The Athenry man was third to Americans Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay at Crystal Palace recently, when running a season’s best.
Heffernan (20km walk), who finished in the top eight at the Beijing Olympics, has been in excellent form this season and will hope to peak in Berlin, as will O’Keeffe (hammer), who looks to be an upward curve after recovering from a knee injury.
O’Rourke has already won bronze in the indoor 100m hurdles in Turin this year but is another who was forced to pull out of Santry because of illness, though it is thought she will be fit for Berlin.
Athletics Ireland president Liam Hennessy is hoping to improve on the championships in Osaka two years ago.
“Our last world championship was the best global performance by an Irish athletics team and it was capped off by two amazing sixth place finishes with Eileen O’Keeffe and Rob Heffernan.
“This team is very similar to the team we sent to Osaka in 2007 and I hope that they can match and maybe even better the results from two years ago,” Hennessy said.
Joanne Cuddihy and Sligo’s Mary Culllen are both omitted because of study obligations and injury respectively.
Athletics Ireland Team
Olive Loughnane (Loughrea AC) 20k Walk
Robert Heffernan (Togher AC) 20k Walk
Paul Hession (Athenry AC) 200m
Derval O’Rourke (Leevale AC) 100m H
David Gillick (Dundrum South Dublin) 400m
Roisin McGettigan (Sli Chulainn AC) 3,000m Steeplechase
Alistair Cragg (Clonliffe Harriers) 5,000m
Eileen O’Keefe (Kilkenny City Harriers) Hammer
Jamie Costin (West Waterford AC) 50k Walk
Colin Griffin (Ballinamore AC) 50k Walk
Deirdre Ryan (Dundrum South Dublin) High Jump
Deirdre Byrne (Sli Chualinn AC) 1,500m
Michelle Carey (Dublin Striders AC) 400m H
Thomas Chamney (Crusaders AC) 800m / 1,500m