Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce that Mark Carroll (Leevale AC) has made himself available for selection for next month's European Indoor Championships in Madrid interrupting his preparations for the Boston Marathon.

Carroll, whose a seasons best of 7.46.60 is the second fastest time of his career, won the 3,000m in 2000, and will join world number one Alistair Cragg (Clonliffe Harriers) on the team, once his selection is confirmed next weekend.

The two Irishmen are currently the two fastest over 3,000m in Europe for 2005. Carroll and Cragg are slated to race against each other at 3,000m on Friday evening at the Tyson Invitational taking place in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Cragg's home track on the campus of his Alma Mater University of Arkansas. Cragg, 24 ran 7.38.59 to set the Irish 3k Indoor record at last year's event breaking Frank O'Mara's 13-year-old record of 7.41.14.

A trio of athletes, Nolan, Emily Maher and Jer O'Donoghue will be competing at the British AAA Championships this weekend in Sheffield in hopes of achieving a European Indoor Athletics Championship standard.

Maher and O'Donoghue are currently .02 and .01 seconds outside their respective standard and are hopeful of making the necessary improvements over the weekend.

Eight of the ten Irish athletes qualified for next month's European Indoor Championships in Madrid will also be in action including Paul Brizzell and Rob Daly who will start their events as the defending champion.

Although there are three Irish athletes qualified for Madrid in the individual 400-metre event, there will not be a 4x400m relay team going to Madrid as the European Athletics Association have only invited the top five fastest teams from 2004 plus the host nation.

Irish athletes competing in Sheffield at the weekend:

MEN
Jer O'Donoghue, Leevale, 60m
Paul Hession, Athenry, 200m
Paul Brizell, Ballymena & Antrim, 200m
David Gillick, DSD, 400m
Rob Daly, DSD, 400m
David McCarthy, Le Cheile, 400m
James Nolan, UCD, 1500m

WOMEN
Ailish McSweeny, Leevale, 60m
Emily Maher KCH, 60m
Martina McCarthy, DCH, 800m
Derval O'Rourke, Leevale, 60mH
Deirdre Ryan, UCD, HJ

2005 Madrid European Indoor Athletics Championships website