Fagan and Cullen lead depleted Irish assault on Madrid

MARTIN FAGAN and Mary Cullen are named in the Irish senior teams for the European cross-country championships in Toro, near Madrid, on Sunday week.

Last Friday they finished second in the famous Thanksgiving Day Manchester Road Race in the US.

Fagan, preparing for a shot at Olympic qualification at the Houston Marathon in January, fought out a thriller with the Australian, Andrew Letherby, over the 4.7 mile course before losing by just one second in 21 mins 55 secs.

He will join an Irish senior men’s team weakened because Mullingar’s Mark Christie, who finished third in Sunday’s inter-counties championships at The Curragh, has opted for the under-23 race.

And while the selectors have named silver medallist Gareth Turnbull on the team, he has said he will not be travelling as he is preparing for next year’s track season and a shot at Olympic qualification.

Gary Murray, who reclaimed the inter-counties title from Mark Christie, will lead the team with Vinny Mulvey, a big player in Sunday’s race, Joe McAllister and Colm Rooney providing solid backing.

Mary Cullen finished second in the Thanksgiving Day race for the third successive year and she, too, has the Olympics on her mind. She has been Ireland’s top finisher in the senior race at the European championships for the past few years and is one of Ireland’s most experienced internationals.

Roisín McGettigan is not available as she is concentrating on next year’s Olympic Games when she will be a big contender in the steeplechase.

“I can fully understand her position,” manager Anne Keenan-Buckley said. “I have been through it myself and I know that 8,000m can be pretty daunting unless you have been preparing specifically for it.

The women’s team will be led by Fionnuala Britton, a silver medal winner in the U-23 race at last year’s European Cross Country Championship — the winner later tested positive for a banned substance.

Since then she finished 14th at the world cross-country championships in Kenya last March and that made her third European.

Jessica Augusto from Portugal was 12th while the Irish woman was ahead of the Great Britain pair, Hattie Dean and Hayley Yelling.

Deirdre Byrne, who beat Britton in the Gerry Farnan Memorial in the Phoenix Park last month and was runner-up on Sunday, is included in the team along with Jolene Byrne, who missed last season through injury, national marathon champion, Pauline Curley, and former national inter-clubs champion, Maria McCambridge.

Andrew Ledwith has been named on the U-23 men’s team. He finished 31st in the American collegiate championships last week. David McCarthy (West Waterford) who finished 84th — fourth Freshman — in that race has been named on the junior men’s team.

David McCarthy’s sister, Lorraine, who competes with the Ferrybank club, is on the junior women’s team which is led by the Ffrench O’Carroll twins, Charlotte and Rebecca.

The U-23 men’s team features almost all of last year’s team with the exception of Cork man Mark Hanrahan and Mark Kirwan from Dublin — both injured.

Last year’s junior champion Cathal Dennehy from Limerick and Danny Darcy from Carlow are the replacements. Darcy, a European silver medallist on the track, has been injured in recent times.

Brendan O’Neill, pacemaker for most of the junior race on Sunday before dropping out with an ankle injury near the line, has been named alongside winner, John Coghlan, and David McCarthy on the junior team.

Linda Byrne, better known as a track specialist, claimed her place on the U-23 team when winning that category in third place overall on Sunday while Frances Nic Reamoin, back from a lengthy of injury, is an interesting addition on foot of her front-running display in the early stages of Sunday’s race.

IRISH TEAMS (European Cross-country Championships, Toro, Spain):

Senior Men: M. Fagan (Mullingar Harriers), G. Murray (St Malachy’s), G. Turnbull (St Malachy’s), V. Mulvey (Raheny Shamrocks), J. McAllister (St Malachy’s), C. Rooney (Clonliffe Harriers).

Senior Women: M. Cullen (North Sligo AC), F. Britton (Sli Chulainn), D. Byrne (Sli Chulainn), J. Byrne (Donore Harriers), P. Curley (Tullamore AC), M. McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin).

U-23 Men: M. Christie (Mullingar Harriers), J. Sweeney (Dundrum South Dublin), M. Clohisey (Raheny Shamrocks). C. Dennehy (Emerald AC), D. Darcy (St Laurence O’Toole AC), A. Ledwith (Fr Murphy’s).

U-23 Women: L. Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin), F. Nic Reamoin (Clonliffe Harriers), R. A. Galligan (Newbridge AC). A. Baker (Dundrum South Dublin), A. Gebrezgi (Dublin City Harriers), T. Williams (Tallaght AC).

Junior Men: D. McCarthy (West Waterford AC), B. O’Neill (Dundrum South Dublin), J. Coghlan (Metro St Brigid’s), M. Mulhare (North Laois AC), D. Rooney (Raheny Shamrocks), N. Tuohy (Ferrybank AC).

Junior Women: C. Ffrench-O’Carroll (Dundrum South Dublin), R. Ffrench-O’Carroll (Dundrum South Dublin), S. Huet (Dundrum South Dublin), S. L. Treacy (Moynalvey AC), E. Black (Balymena and Antrim AC), L. McCarthy (Ferrybank).