Young athletes in top form for Osaka

A SQUAD that is young enough to form the nucleus of Ireland’s Olympic team for London 2012 will represent Ireland at the IAAF world championships in Osaka in two weeks.

Michelle Carey, the national 400m hurdles champion, has been added to the team which was formally announced by Athletics Ireland’s new Director of Athletics, Max Jones, yesterday.

This means that 15 of Ireland’s elite athletes will make the trip to Japan, including sprinters Paul Hession and David Gillick; middle distance runner, Alistair Cragg; race walkers, Robert Heffernan and Colin Griffin; 3,000m steeplechaser, Roisín McGettigan; and hammer thrower, Eileen O’Keeffe, who have set 11 Irish records between them during what has been the most exciting season in Irish athletics since Sonia O’Sullivan’s record-breaking spree back in 1993.