Seamus Power, the outstanding men's cross-country runner in domestic competition in recent years, is out of the Irish team for the World Championship at Belfast on March 27th and 28th. After consulting with the selectors on Sunday he indicated that he wasn't sufficiently fit to do himself justice.
It catches the mood of a difficult season for Power who had to forego the chance of a third consecutive success in the National Championship at Stranorlar because of 'flu. The source of his problems goes farther back, however, for he has never fully recovered from his first marathon run in Dublin in October.
It means that Dermot Donnelly now gets one of the optional places in the team, a prize which was in some doubt after the Belfast athlete had floundered in the mud and fell back to eighth place in the National Championship.
Many will see in Donnelly's selection the scales of justice at work, for on the evidence of his robust performance in the Coca Cola international race in Belfast last month, he is almost certainly the most realistic Irish hope of getting into the top 15.
Peter Matthews, though another recent 'flu victim, also gets one of the optional places and no less than Donnelly deserves the chance of competing in the showcase event on the evidence of his earlier runs this season.
Unfortunately for Maureen Harrington, past performances counted for nothing in the composition of the women's senior team. No less than Power in the men's equivalent, the Kerry athlete dominated the women's championship in the last two years, only to hit trouble at Stranorlar. Her 14th placing left the selectors with a major problem and in the end they decided to go with the Finn Valley athlete Helena Crossan.
Breda Dennehy, a surprising winner of the women's title, has decided to run in the short-course championship in Belfast, the team for which will be nominated after a trial in Dublin on March 14th.
SENIOR - MEN (long course): J Ferrin (North Belfast), N Cullen (Clonliffe), M McCarthy (Leevale), D Burke (Mullingar), P Matthews (DSD), D Donnelly (Annadale). WOMEN (long course): A Keenan-Buckley (North Laois), T Duffy (Beechmount), R Ryan (Limerick), V Vaughan (Blarney), H Crossan (Finn Valley), A McMahon (Marian).
JUNIOR - MEN: G Murray (Finn Valley), J McAllister (St Malachy's), S Ward (Finn Valley), F Feeney (North Sligo), N Cavanagh (Brehon), B Keane (Leevale). WOMEN: C Daly (East Cork), A M Larkin (UCD), M Cullen (North Sligo), A Byrne (DSD), D Byrne (Fr Murphy's), C Broe (Brehon).
