Irish team to follow O'Sullivan lead

ATHLETICS: Ireland has announced the pre-selection of four leading athletes for the coming World Cross Country Championships at Leopardstown. Sonia O'Sullivan (below left) and Ann Keenan-Buckley will head the women's team, while Séamus Power (below right) and Mark Carroll will do likewise in the men's team.

The Leopardstown event, which takes place on the weekend March 23/24th, is the first competitive target for O'Sullivan on her road back to full fitness following the birth of her second daughter last month. Currently training at the altitude camp at Falls Creek outside Melbourne, O'Sullivan is also keeping her options open on the long- or short-course event.

O'Sullivan is also being lined up to compete in Easter Saturday's Balmoral Road Races. Race organiser Peter Elliott has already had preliminary talks with the athlete about competing in the five-mile event.

Keenan-Buckley, who was pre-selected for Leopardstown following a string of high-quality performances, has indicated that the Ireland team is likely to follow O'Sullivan's lead. The intention will be to get the strongest possible team in one race in the hope of winning team medals.

Power remains unbeaten by domestic rivals this season and has been credited for his consistency with a guaranteed place on the team. The Clare athlete is likely to choose the longer race, but he too may be influenced by the strength of the team elsewhere.

Though Carroll has also been assured of his place, his participation is less certain. The US-based athlete is currently recovering from injury and will skip the indoor season in an effort to peak for the European Championships in Munich next August.

"Right now I'm planning ahead on a day-by-day basis," says Carroll, "but if I feel a few weeks down the road that I can be a scoring member of the Irish team in Leopardstown then I definitely will come home for it.

"If the race was anywhere else I wouldn't, but if I'm fit I would very much like to be part of the team in Dublin. The priority now is to build back up my cardiovascular base, and if all goes well I think the longer 12km race would fit quite well into my preparations for the outdoor season."

Carroll underwent surgery just before Christmas for the chronic pain that had developed just above his knee. Now back running around 50 minutes a day, he has also indicated that he is likely to attempt a marathon within the next year and a half.

Athletics Ireland have confirmed that only the top three finishers at the Inter-club championships on February 24th will be automatically selected for the long-course event at Leopardstown. The remaining three places are to be decided on by the selectors in consultation with team coach Jerry Kiernan.

A similar selection policy will be in place for the short-course event. Trials take place at Dublin's ALSAA course on March 10th.