Experience, youth, depth, quality and some serious potential – the Irish team for next month’s European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg, the Netherlands, isn’t lacking much, medal prospects included. There are 39 athletes selected by Athletics Ireland, including teams across all six races, plus the mixed relay.
Making her debut in the event will be 17-year-old Sarah Healy, who still has two more years in the junior women’s under-20 grade, but travels with individual and team medal hopes.
Healy won the Irish junior title on Sunday over a testing course at Abbotstown, Dublin, and will be joined in Tilburg on Sunday week (December 9th) by the next three finishers Emma O’Brien, Jodie McCann and Laura Nicholson, along with US-based Stephanie Cotter, currently on scholarship at Adams State in Colorado, and also Sophie O’Sullivan, daughter of Sonia, who will make the trip back from Australia.
The intention now is to add another medal to go with the double gold Healy won over 1500m and 3000m at the European Under-18 Athletics Championships in Gyor, Hungry, last July, the same championships where O’Sullivan won silver over 800m. Despite conceding some years to her opposition, Healy will go in with considerably faster times that anyone else in the under-20 grade.
Leading the senior races will be Kevin Dooney and Ciara Mageean, both with plenty of experience. At age 25, Dooney won his first Irish title on Sunday after a proper battle with Sean Tobin, who finished 15th in Europe last year. Both men have aspirations of making the top 20 this time.
‘Put that right’
“I think this will be my seventh European Cross, between junior and under-23, and I’d say only one of those I was moderately happy with, and the rest I was unhappy with, so I want to put that right,” said Dooney.
Mageean also won her first National senior cross country title on Sunday after a few years of trying, and is joined on the senior women’s team by Ann Marie McGlynn and Fionnuala Ross, plus Michelle Finn, Sara Treacy and Kerry O’Flaherty – all three of whom ran the 3000m steeplechase at the Rio Olympics.
After a spell of altitude training, for the first time Mageean feels primed for a run in Tilburg, which played host to the championships before back in 2005, only this time at a new challenging course at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park, situated just to the southeast of Tilburg.
“Looking forward to another day in the Irish vest, fighting hard,” she said. “I know everyone says I’m a track specialist, but I cut a couple of teeth over the cross country, finished seventh in Europe as a junior. I was bitterly disappointed to come fourth in the Europeans [in Berlin last August], but it’s given me strength and confidence to know I’m still up there.”
Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock) and American-based Ryan Forsyth (Newcastle AC) will lead a strong under-23 men’s team, Forsyth having finished 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last week.
Impact
“We’re excited about this team’s prospects for Tilburg, both in terms of making an impact here and now, but also as it’s an important stepping stone on the road to hosting the championships at Abbotstown 2020,” said Paul McNamara, high performance director at Athletics Ireland,
“This season has demonstrated improved depth and quality in the under age categories, and as a result we’ve selected both U23 teams for the first time since 2014. Both U20 teams look strong and can certainly build on their solid showing in last year. The mixed relay is an exciting addition to the squad, and should be capable of adding some value to Team Ireland’s prospects”
EUROPEAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, (Tilburg, December 9th)
Senior men: Kevin Dooney (Raheny Shamrock AC), Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC), Kevin Maunsell (Clonmel AC), Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock AC), Stephen Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers AC), Kevin Batt (DSD AC)
Senior women: Ciara Mageean (UCD AC), Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC), Fionnuala Ross (Armagh AC), Michelle Finn (Leevale AC), Sara Treacy (Dunboyne AC), Kerry O'Flaherty (Newcastle & District AC)
U-23 men: Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC), Ryan Forsyth (Newcastle and District AC), Paul O'Donnell (DSD AC), Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers AC), Garry Campbell (Dunleer AC), Jack O'Leary (Mullingar Harriers AC)
U-23 women: Fian Sweeney (Dublin City Harriers AC), Eilish Flanagan (Carmen runners), Aoibhe Richardson (Kilkenny City Harriers AC), Roisin Flanagan (Carmen runners), Sorcha McAlister (Westport AC)
U-20 men: Daragh McElhinney (Bantry AC), Sean O'Leary (Clonliffe Harriers AC), Jamie Battle (Mullingar Harriers AC), Fintan Stewart (City of Derry AC Spartans, Daire Finn (Dublin City Harriers), Micheál Power (West Waterford AC)
U-20 women: Sarah Healy (Blackrock AC), Emma O'Brien (Sli Cualann), Jodie McCann (Dublin City Harriers AC), Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC), Stephanie Cotter (West Muskerry AC), Sophie O'Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC)
Mixed Relay: John Travers (Donore Harriers AC), Paul Robinson (St Coca's AC), Claire Tarplee (St Coca's AC), Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (DSD AC).
