O'Rourke set for European team event in Turkey

ATHLETICS: DERVAL O'ROURKE will have her first hurdles race of the summer as part of a full-strength Irish team selected for the European Team Championships later this month.

O'Rourke, who hasn't competed since finishing fourth at the European Indoors in Paris in March, will run the 100 metres hurdles and the relay to help ensure Ireland retain their First League status when the two-day championships take place in Izmir, Turkey, on June 18th-19th.

Ireland finished eighth of 11 teams last year in what is effectively the second division of European team competition, and while they may come closer to promotion to the Super League this year, there will still be tough competition from the likes of Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland and hosts Turkey.

David Gillick is also confirmed in the 400m, but will have his first race of the season on Saturday in Clermont, close to his new training base in Florida, followed by a more serious test in the New York Diamond League the following weekend.

Irish 100m record holder Ailis McSweeney leads a strong sprint challenge that also includes Paralympic star Jason Smyth, who recently set a personal best of 10.22 in Clermont in May, a B standard for the World Championships in Korea later this summer, while Paul Hession goes in the 200m.

The middle distance challenge will see Ciara Mageean compete over the 1,500m, Roseanne Galligan, who just ran a season's best of 2.05.25 in Watford, in the 800m, with Darren McBearty competing in the men's event. Former European Indoor bronze medallist Mary Cullen will compete in the 3,000m, and Fionnuala Britton in the 5,000m.

Meanwhile, the climax of the schools' track season takes place tomorrow with the Aviva All-Ireland track and field finals in Tullamore, where among the plethora of emerging talent on display will be Siofra Cleirigh Buttner of Coláiste Íosagáin in the intermediate 800m, fresh from her 2:08.70 record in Leinster, and the classy Mark English of St Eunan's Letterkenny in the senior boys 800m.