Cullen gears up for racing Odyssey

MARY CULLEN faces a busy weekend in her build-up to the European Indoor Championships in Paris in two weeks that includes a 3,000m race in Birmingham this afternoon and the 1,500m at the Woodies DIY Irish Indoor Championships in the Odyssey Arena tomorrow.

The Sligo athlete who won a bronze medal at the European indoors two years ago and posted her standard with an 8:56.89 run in Lievin just over a week ago, will line up for a high class 3,000m in Birmingham this evening when the opposition will include Helen Clitheroe, Sentayehu Ejiguj (Ethiopia) and Mercy Njoroge (Kenya).

Another Irish athlete, Rose-Anne Galligan, will make her debut over the indoor 3,000m in Birmingham as well. She is a former holder of the Irish indoor 1,500m title. That was until it was conquered by Ciara Mageean at the age of 15. Tomorrow Mageean goes for her fourth title in a row at the Odyssey. The field is expected to include steeplechase specialist Roisin McGettigan, a former team-mate of Cullen at Providence College, and UCC student, Orla Drumm.