ATHLETICS: Eleven years after Catherina McKiernan won the inaugural European Cross Country the chance of another individual Irish victory has arrived again in the form of Alistair Cragg.
Athletics Ireland yesterday announced the 24 athletes who will travel to Tilburg in the Netherlands on December 11th, with Cragg leading the senior men's hopes for glory.
The 25-year-old, who is permanently based in Arkansas in the US, was in fact pre-selected for the event, with most of the remaining Irish places decided after last Sunday's inter-counties cross country in Sligo.
Donegal's Gary Murray, who won the men's title on Sunday, joins Cragg along with the next three finishers - Mark Kenneally of Dublin, Gareth Turnbull of Belfast, and David Kelly of Sligo. The remaining spot goes to Martin Fagan, who currently attends Providence College and like Cragg was pre-selected.
The senior women's selection is also almost entirely based on last Sunday's event. Jolene Byrne won her first inter-county title to add to her inter-club title, and after a strong 16th-place in last year's event in Heringsdorf, she leads the team for Tilburg along with Fionnuala Britton (Wicklow), Rosemary Ryan (Limerick), Aoife Byrne (Dublin) and Orla O'Mahoney (Clare).
Sligo's Mary Cullen, the national 5,000 metres champion and also based in the US, was pre-selected.
There was no place, however, for Maria McCambridge. The Dublin athlete has been hindered by a sciatica problem in recent weeks and could manage only sixth in Sunday's event, and her class and experience will be missed.
Both junior teams were also made up from the leading finishers on Sunday, with the exception of Colin Costello and Danny Darcy. The talented duo, who together produced gold and silver for Ireland over 1,500 metres at the European Junior championships last July, missed Sunday's event because of illness and injury respectively, but were still selected subject to fitness.
The junior men took silver medals last year and if Costello and Darcy both run could well repeat that. The junior women's team includes the first five from the inter-counties with Breffni Twohig also included.
Cragg will travel to Europe from his US base next week, and will start in Tilburg as one of the favourites despite the fact that he hasn't raced on the country this season.
After missing the entire summer with a stress fracture in his lower back, Cragg's comeback races to date have consisted of a low-key 10km road in Arkansas (which he won) and last Thursday's Thanksgiving Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut (second).
The man he'll most likely have to beat is five-times champion Sergey Lebid of the Ukraine, who has also avoided any major races in the build-up to Tilburg, and instead is training in the mountains of Siberia.
Cragg's only other appearance in the European Cross Country produced an eighth-place finish back in 2002, but he was the third European home when finishing in 16th place at the World Cross Country two years ago.
IRISH TEAM: SENIOR MEN: Alistair Cragg (Clonliffe), Martin Fagan (Mullingar), Gary Murray (St Malachy's), Mark Kenneally (Clonliffe), Gareth Turnbull (St Malachy's), David Kelly (Sligo). SENIOR WOMEN: Jolene Byrne (Donore), Fionnuala Britton (Sli Chuallain), Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa), Aoife Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin), Orla O'Mahoney (Raheny), Mary Cullen (Sligo).
JUNIOR MEN: Mick Clohissey (Raheny), Kevin Lawlor (St Laurence O'Toole), Paul Pollock (Abbey AC), Colin Costello (Star of The Sea), Danny Darcy (St Laurence O'Toole), Daire Bermingham (Raheny). JUNIOR WOMEN: Linda Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin), Ashling Baker (Dundrum South Dublin), Aoife Cooke (Youghal), Roseanne Galligan (Newbridge), Azmere Gebrezgi (Dublin City Harriers), Breffni Twohig (Dundrum South Dublin).
