Women’s relay squad on way to London

Ireland’s 4x400m relay women were officially confirmed as London 2012 Olympians by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) yesterday.

Sixteen teams were ratified after Monday’s closing date with the Irish ranked 13th, ahead of Brazil and behind Italy. The USA, Russia and Jamaica took the first three spots with host Great Britain ranked fourth.

Rankings for the relay events are achieved by an aggregate of the two fastest teams in the qualifying period between January 1, 2011 and July 2, 2012, although national teams must compete in at least three races during that timeframe.

The Irish team’s two best times were the three minutes 27.48 seconds recorded at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea last autumn — where they achieved a national record — and a 3:30.61 in Bydgoszcz, Poland in early June.

Hopes of creeping up the ladder at the recent European Athletics Championships in Helsinki were ended when the Irish team of Joanne Cuddihy, Claire Bergin, Marian Heffernan and Michelle Carey were disqualified for a lane infringement.

Athletics Ireland subsequently confirmed they had nominated a team of six consisting of Cuddihy (KCH AC), Carey (Dublin Striders AC), Bergin (DSD AC), Heffernan (Togher AC), Jessie Barr (Ferrybank AC) and Catriona Cuddihy (KCH AC) to the Olympic Council of Ireland.

The qualification period for all other event disciplines in athletics ends on Sunday, although the OCI will stage their official team announcement in Dublin today with 65 participants due to be unveiled.

Meanwhile, Dwain Chambers has been named in the British athletics squad for London 2012, competing in the 100m and 4x100m relay.

But there was a bitter blow for former world and European 800m bronze medallist Jenny Meadows, who was omitted from the team after an injury-ravaged season.

The 34-year-old Chambers isincluded after the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) policy of life bans for drug cheats was overturned.

Chambers served a two-year ban after testing positive for THG in 2003, but became eligible again when the World Anti-Doping Agency overruled the BOA’s policy. He won the 100m trials in Birmingham with a time of 10.25 secs and was rested for the European Championships last week, competing only in the relay, in which Britain dropped the baton.

He said: “It is an honour to be selected as part of Team GB today. For me, representing my country in an Olympics is a privilege that should never be taken for granted. To be given the opportunity to do so in my home town has been a dream that at times has seemed very distant and is now a reality.”

Another former drug cheat, Carl Myerscough, competes in the shot put.

Head coach Charles van Commenee sprung a major surprise by selecting Lynsey Sharp for the women’s 800m.

Sharp, 21, won the recent GB trials and claimed silver in Helsinki last week.

However, she has not achieved the A qualifying standard — meaning that, by selecting her, Van Commenee limited himself to just one pick in the event under IAAF rules. Meadows, a world medallist in 2009, who has not run since last September due to injury, has been excluded, as has Emma Jackson, who has the A standard but is battling a rib complaint, and current British No 1 Marilyn Okoro.

Meadows has already indicated she will appeal the decision while Okoro, who is named in the 4x400m relay team, tweeted: “I’m quitting.”