Athletes must prove fitness for Barcelona

ATHLETICS IRELAND are adopting a strict “no show, no go” policy at this weekend’s National Track and Field Championships in Santry – the intention being that any athlete in line for selection for the European Championships in Barcelona later this month must prove their competition fitness. Of course it will also make for a truly star-studded weekend in Santry, as no one can afford not to be there.

So far 26 Irish athletes are in line for selection, with the team due to be announced on Monday. All the medal contenders for Barcelona look to be coming into peak shape, namely Derval O’Rourke, Paul Hession, David Gillick and Olive Loughnane – although Gillick will use this weekend’s championships to tune up his speed and drops from 400 to 100 metres (he also races in Barcelona this evening), while Loughnane goes in the shorter 5km track walk, compared to the 20km on the roads in Barcelona.

However, several of the Irish qualifiers need to prove their fitness this weekend, including Alistair Cragg, who is due to run the 5,000 metres on Sunday, Joanne Cuddihy, over 400 metres, and Fionnuala Britton, in the 3,000 metres steeplechase – with the Europeans beginning on July 27th. Cragg is also due to run in Gateshead tomorrow evening.

“We’ve been absolutely clear on this, that any Irish athlete who wants to be in Barcelona needs to be in Santry this weekend,” says Irish team manager Patsy McGonagle. “There won’t be any exceptions. If an athlete has to pull out because of injury or illness then we’ll have a strict medical policy to deal with that, to ensure they are still fit for Barcelona.”

Athletics Ireland has in the past been accused of selecting athletes who weren’t fully fit. Those days would appear to be over. Martin Fagan, who still hopes to run the 10,000 metres in Barcelona, is not due back in Santry as he has chosen to race at his training base in New Mexico, although McGonagle hinted this was likely to cost him his place on the team.

Injury or illness has already denied several athletes their place, including Mary Cullen (5,000 metres), David Campbell (1,500 metres) and Eileen O’Keeffe (hammer), and Mark Kenneally – who ran so well at the European Cross Country Championships in Santry last December – has given up hope of reaching the 10,000 metres standard as his form has deserted him.

One of the highly-novel additions to the team for Barcelona is likely to be Victoria Pena, the Californian-born pole vaulter, who only in recent months has declared for Ireland. Pena has a pole vault best of 4.35 metres, which qualifies her for Barcelona. Still only 22, she holds dual Irish-American citizenship as her grandmother hails from Derry.

Others looking to underline their form ahead of Barcelona include defending 400 metres champion Brian Gregan of Clonliffe Harriers AC, who has clocked 46.65 seconds this year, but faces a tough challenge from Gordon Kennedy (Tullamore Harriers AC) who has run 46.87 and Brian Murphy (UCC AC) who recently set a best of 46.89.

Paul Hession equalled his season best of 20.46 seconds when finishing fourth over the 200 metres at last night’s Diamond League meeting in Lausanne. Victory went to the American Walter Dix in 19.86 seconds.