Cullen sharpens up with busy schedule

ATHLETICS:WITH THE litany of injury setbacks finally behind her Mary Cullen is targeting next month's European Indoor Championships in Paris with renewed vigour. Not content to merely compete in tomorrow's National Indoors in Belfast, Cullen will also run this afternoon's Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham, where she'll face a world-class field over 3,000 metres.

After that she’ll head to Belfast to compete in the 1,500 metres, where her opposition will include defending national champion Ciara Mageean, among others. But Cullen is determined to sharpen her race fitness ahead of Paris two weeks later, where she’ll go into the 3,000 metres as defending bronze medallist, and looking to go even better this time.

The 28-year-old ran 8:48.47 on that occasion, and in her only race over the distance this season in France two weeks back, ran 8:56.89. She’ll most likely improve that this afternoon before the interesting clash with Mageean, who is still seeking the qualifying time for Paris.

Derval O’Rourke may be a notable absentee tomorrow due to a slight groin strain, but she’s still on course to compete in Paris and also look to better the bronze medal won over the 60-metre hurdles two years ago in Turin.

Clonliffe Harriers’ Brian Gregan has already qualified for Paris over 400 metres and should collect another national indoor title tomorrow, while one of Ireland’s biggest London Olympic medal hopes, Robert Heffernan, will compete over the 5km Walk.

The men’s 800 metres, if the key players opt to run, could prove the highlight in Belfast: new national junior indoor record holder Letterkenny AC’s Mark English will be up against his team-mate and the equally-in-form Darren McBrearty over the four-lap indoor event.

McBrearty is currently ranked seventh in Europe with his time of 1:47:87 set earlier this month in Vienna, while athletes of the calibre of Kilkenny’s Eoin Everard will be hoping to keep pace and match their rivals over the final lap.

McBrearty is in fact eyeing an 800-1,500 metres double but he won’t have it easy: Joe Warne, John Coghlan and the young Paul Robinson are also entered to run, and should make for a fascinating showdown.

Another interesting battle will be taking place at the pole vault between former Irish record holder Zoe Brown of Raheny Shamrocks and new record holder Tori Pena of Finn Valley.

Pena returned to Ireland this week after setting an Irish pole vault record of 4.30 metres in New Mexico, which is also a standard for Paris.