Europe's fastest 400m runner Gregan in team for indoor championships

17:05, 20 Feb 2013

An Irish team of eight, headed by double European Cross-Country Champion Fionnuala Britton and Europe's fastest man over 400m this year so far, Brian Gregan, have been pre-selected for next week's European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg.

Two further athletes are on tenterhooks having run qualifying standard times - John Travers in the 1500 and 3000m, and Stephen Scullion in the 3000m.

Only three athletes per team can travel meaning one of the four who have run the European standard in the 3000m will miss out.

Mark English, World Juniors finalist from Barcelona last summer, has run a qualifying time in the 800m in winning the national championship at Athlone IT at the weekend.

Despite his impressive personal best of 1:48.50, English is skipping Gothenburg to concentrate on this summer's European U23 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

The full team will be announced on Sunday, but so far consists of -

Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers AC) 400m

Ciaran O'Lionaird (Leevale AC) 3000m

Derval O'Rourke (Leevale AC) 60m hurdles

Fionnuala Britton (Kilcoole AC) 3000m

Ciara Everard (UCD AC) 800m

Amy Foster (City of Lisburn AC) 60m

David McCarthy (West Waterford AC) 3000m

Tori Pena (Finn Valley AC) pole vault