Portlaoise’s Mary Mulhare has been selected on the Irish Women’s Senior Cross Country team to compete in the European Championships next month.
She is part of an Irish squad stacked with European championship experience which has been selected for the 29th edition of the competition which take place in Brussels on December 10.
Mary is on an experienced Irish senior women’s team including Fionnuala McCormack, Eilish Flanagan (Finn Valley AC), Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley AC), Fionnula Ross (Armagh AC), and recent national champion Fiona Everard (Bandon AC).
The news comes a few days after Mulhare claimed a silver medal in the All-Ireland Cross Country Championship behind Everard.
Last year, Mulhare was part of the Irish team that took Bronze at the championships and will be hoping for even better this time.
Speaking at the announcement, Athletics Ireland National Endurance Co-ordinator, Mark Kenneally said: “In my short time in the role it has been heartening to see the stellar work being put in by athletes and coaches to prepare for these championships.
“In recent years we have enjoyed great individual and team success, and this has raised expectations, both within the team and externally in the wider athletics and sporting community.
“This is, again, fantastic to see, and while the standard of distance running generally in Europe is on the rise, I am confident that our athletes are capable of rising to the challenge.
“Our athletes will be prepared to perform at their highest level, and I am certain this will ensure it will be a successful championships on December 10th in Brussels”.
The SPAR European Cross Country Championships is one of the main seasonal appointments of the European Athletics calendar.
Brussels 2023 follows last year’s championships in Piemonte, Italy which saw Ireland claim a record 5 medals which resulted in Ireland finishing in second place on the overall medal table alongside Spain and France, bettering the 3 medals won at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships which were hosted in Fingal-Dublin.
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