Athletics News: Catherina McKiernan has been included on a panel of 18 athletes announced yesterday by Athletics Ireland as part of the Athens Enhancement Plan, which is designed to improve preparations for the Olympic Games next August. It confirms McKiernan's intention to try to qualify for Athens, most likely over 10,000 metres.

So far, however, just nine of the 18 athletes named have secured the necessary qualifying standards in their event.

McKiernan has yet to finalise potential qualifying races on the track, and for now is concentrating on preparing for next month's World Cross Country championships, to be staged in Brussels.

But according to Elaine Fitzgerald, high performance manager with Athletics Ireland, all 18 athletes named on the panel have made the Athens Olympics their priority for the year.

Last month, the Irish Sports Council granted Athletics Ireland 250,000 specifically to run the enhancement programme, with all panel members receiving extra funding over the coming months towards their Athens preparations.

"All the athletes on the panel have proven that they have the ability to compete at the highest level," said Fitzgerald. "And they also have various plans in place for the Games."

"Unfortunately though there had to be a cut off point, and some top-class competitors fell outside the programme."

AAI ATHENS ENHANCEMENT PLAN PANEL

Sonia O'Sullivan (5,000/10,000 metres); Gillian O'Sullivan (20km walk), Mark Carroll (10,000 metres/marathon); James Nolan (1,500 metres); Paul Brizzel (200 metres); Olive Loughnane (20km walk); Jamie Costin (50km walk); Derval O'Rourke (100 metre hurdles); Cathal Lombard (5,000/10,000 metres); Paul McKee (400 metres); Catherina McKiernan (10,000 metres/marathon); Peter Coghlan (110 metre hurdles); Gareth Turnbull (1,500 metres); Robert Heffernan (20km walk); Gary Ryan (200 metres), Karen Shinkins (400 metres), Ciara Sheehy (200 metres), David McCarthy (400 metres).