Mark English and Rose-Anne Galligan get nod for World Indoors

Mark English (UCD) and Rose-Anne Galligan (Newbridge) have been named in the Irish team for the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland, Oregon (March 17-20).

English has been selected in the 800m and will have hopes of adding to his medal collection, a European outdoor (Zurich) bronze medal in 2014 and a silver medal at the European Indoors (Prague) last year.

Galligan is the national outdoor 800m record holder and has been selected to run the 1,500m.

More names may yet be added to the team.

“It is a small but elite team for the World Indoors due to the European Championships and Olympic Games this summer,” said Athletics Ireland High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom.

“Mark (English) is a championship racer and we expect him to do well in Portland. Rose-Anne has wintered well and it will be good for her 800m development.”

Meanwhile, Lizzie Lee (Leevale) and Paul Pollock (Annadale Striders) lead the Irish entries for the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff on March 26.

Pollock (Annadale Striders) will lead a full men’s team of five and will be looking to replicate his performance at the last edition of the championships in Copenhagen in 2014, when he ran a swift 62:10 for 30th place, which remains his personal best for the event.

Pollock will also use the event as a sharpener for the London Marathon in April 17th, when when he hopes to seal a place on the Olympic marathon team.

A strong quartet of Kevin Seaward (St Malachy’s), Segiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers), Sean Hehir (Rathfarnham) and Thomas Frazer (Crusaders) will flank Pollock in Wales as they bid to put in a good performance.