Britton, Cullen to lead Irish at World Cross

Britton and Cullen in 2008

Fionnuala Britton  of Sli Cualann and  North Sligo’s Mary Cullen will lead a strong Irish team at the  World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on March 24.
Also selected are Linda Byrne (DSD), Lizzie Lee (Leevale) and Ava Hutchinson ( DSD) all scoring members of the  winning Irish team at the European Cross Country Championships last December team.
Britton’s best ever placing at the World Cross came in 2007 when she finished 14th. In 2011,  she finished a fighting 16th in  far more competitive race. She is aiming for a top 10 placing in Poland and warmed up by taking 3000m bronze at the European Indoors in Goteborg earlier this month.
Cullen booked her place on the team  when she had a comfortable win at the National Cross-Country in Tullamore.
Showing the kind of form that had seen her finish fourth in the European Cross-Country of 2008, she beat the defending champion, Linda Byrne, who had finished eighth behind Britton at the European Championships.
* A strong Irish team heads to the European Indoor Athletics Championships in San Sebastian next  week. Among those travelling are Joe Gough of West Waterford, who only last week set a new European M60 record for 800m,  Paul Fleming of Rathfarnham WSAF M35 , Ciaran Doherty (Letterkenny) M35 3000m, Paul Cowhie (Civil Service) M45 and Pat Byrne (Tinryland) M40. Oldest member of the team is Nenagh’s Sean Naughton, now in the over 80 age group and still going strong.