A team of 16 Irish athletes have been selected for next month’s European Indoor Championships in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn, with another three athletes expected to be added when the final qualifying ranking positions are published by European Athletics on Tuesday afternoon.
The team includes seven relay members, the mixed 4x400m and the women’s 4x400m among the six qualifying nations in what will be a straight final in both events, the championships running from March 6th-9th.
Two-time European Indoor medal winner Mark English will once again run the 800m, recently improving his Irish record to 1:45.12, with Cian McPhillips also qualified, having run 1:45.33.
Bori Akinola (60m), Jodie McCann (3,000m), and Cathal Doyle (1,500m) are provisionally selected pending the ranking list, with Doyle currently within a ranking place, the other two sitting just outside it. Conor Kelly is selected for the mixed relay, and may also make the ranking quota for the individual 400m.
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Both Andrew Coscoran and Sarah Healy have opted to run the 3,000m, both improving the national records in recent weeks, Healy’s run from New York earlier this month ranking her second best in Europe.
Sharlene Mawdsley is selected for both relays, plus the individual 400m, and Sarah Lavin will also be eying up a place in the 60m hurdles final, having finished sixth in the last European indoor final in Istanbul.
Kate O’Connor is also a contender for a medal in the pentathlon, having broken the national record with a score of 4,683 in Estonia earlier this month, leaving her ranked second best in Europe this season.
Irish team: Sarah Lavin (60m hurdles, Emerald AC), Sharlene Mawdsley (400m, 4x400m relay, 4x400m mixed relay), Phil Healy (4x400m relay, 4x400m mixed relay, Bandon AC), Rachel McCann (4x400m relay, 4x400m mixed relay, North Down AC), Cliodhna Manning (4x400m relay, Kilkenny City Harriers), Lauren Cadden (4x400m relay, Sligo AC), Arlene Crossan (4x400m relay, Finn Valley AC), Sarah Healy (3000m, UCD AC), Kate O’Connor (Heptathlon, Dundalk St Gerard’s AC), Mark English (800m, Finn Valley AC), Cian McPhillips (800m, UCD AC), Andrew Coscoran (3000m, Star of the Sea AC), James Gormley (3000m, Carmen Runners AC), Conor Kelly (4x400m mixed relay, Derry Track Club), David Bosch (4x400m mixed relay, UCD AC), Marcus Lawler (4x400m mixed relay, Clonliffe Harriers).
Provisional selection: Jodie McCann (3000m, Dublin City Harriers), Bori Akinola (60m, UCD AC), Cathal Doyle (1500m, Clonliffe Harriers).
