Athletics team named for Berlin

Athletics Ireland has announced a squad of 14 athletes to compete at the World Track and Field Championships in Berlin from the 15-23 August.

The team was decided following the Woodie's DIY National Track and Field Championships over the Bank Holiday weekend in Santry Stadium.

The 14-strong squad is one of the most experienced teams that Athletics Ireland has been able to send to a major championship in recent years with David Gillick, Derval O'Rourke, Paul Hession, Eileen O'Keeffe and Robert Heffernan in action over the course of the week hoping to perform well against the world's best athletes.

Gillick has been in blistering form so far this season. Following the disappointment of failing to retain his European Indoor title in March, he went on to smash the Irish 400m Irish record in Madrid becoming the first Irish athlete to break the 45 second mark registering a time of 44.77.

He has raced consistently over the distance and will be confident of peaking in Berlin. He gave his Irish fans a flavour of what he could do at the weekend with a comfortable victory over 200m at the Woodie's National Championships in Santry on Saturday.

Paul Hession is another athlete that has been looking good so far this season. The Athenry clubman who came so close to an Olympic final last year will be aiming to crack the world stage in Berlin and make the final in the 200m.

Hession pulled out of the National Championships on Sunday after winning his heat in the 100m. The Irish record holder felt a head cold coming on but is expected to be fully fit for the trip to Berlin.

Eileen O'Keeffe and Rob Heffernan were Ireland's heroes at the last World Championships in Osaka with both registering top 8 finishes. O'Keeffe has had a tough time since, with a serious knee injury hampering her Olympic participation but this year she has been throwing high sixties and will be looking to hit over 70 in Berlin. She retained her hammer title at the weekend in Santry as she continued her build up to the World Championships.

Heffernan, who came top eight in Beijing, has been in his usual record breaking form this year as he broke his own 3k walk record at the Cork City Sports registering a new record of 11:14.09.

He added another Woodie's DIY national title to his collection at the weekend as he retained his 10k title.

Derval O'Rourke is another athlete who may peak at the right time on Berlin. O'Rourke was back to her medal winning best in Turin earlier this year as she took bronze at the European Indoor Championships.

She has been running well, breaking the 13 second mark several times during the season. O'Rourke ran in Stockholm with a chest infection and subsequently withdrew from the National Championships, but has confidence that she will be 100% fit for the World Championships.

One of Ireland's top performers at track and field in last year's Olympics, Olive Loughnane, has also been named on the team for Berlin.

The Loughrea athlete was seventh in the 20k walk in Beijing and has raced well this year. She took fourth at the European Cup of Race walking in France and had a commanding victory over Olympic bronze medallist Elisa Rigaudo at the Dublin Grand Prix of Walking in June. In Santry she set a new personal best as she won the 5k walk, winning in a time of 21:03.45.

The team also includes Olympic finalist Roisin McGettigan, Jamie Costin who smashed the 50k Irish race walking record earlier this year and Irish high jump record holder Deirdre Ryan who took the National title with a jump of 1.83m at the weekend.

Two notable absentees are Sligo's Mary Cullen and Kilkenny's Joanne Cuddihy. Cullen, who won a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Turin earlier this year, suffered a stress fracture of her hip in April.

She is expected to be fully fit for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships which will take place in Dublin in December.

Cuddihy has been focused on her final medical results this year and will not compete in the Championships. She is currently on route to Australia to commence work and training at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The Kilkenny woman is hoping to be back on the start line for the European Outdoor Championships in Barcelona in 2010.

Fionnuala Britton, who won the steeplechase at the Woodie's DIY National Championships, felt along with her coach that she was not ready for the World Championships and will now focus on the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Dublin at the end of the year.

Athletics Ireland team for the World Championships in Berlin, 15 -23 August -

Olive Loughnane - 20k Walk
Robert Heffernan - 20k Walk
Paul Hession - 200m
Derval O'Rourke - 100m H
David Gillick - 400m
Roisin McGettigan - 3,000m Steeplechase
Alistair Cragg - 5,000m
Eileen O'Keefe - Hammer
Jamie Costin - 50k Walk
Colin Griffin - 50k Walk
Deirdre Ryan - High Jump
Deirdre Byrne - 1,500m
Michelle Carey - 400m Hurdles
Thomas Chamney - 800m / 1,500m