Ireland Indoor Track Team for the 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Budapest

Ireland Indoor Track Team for the 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships , Budapest. March 3rd-5th 2004

Team Management

Team Manager: Micheal Quinlan (Bandon)
Team Coach: Paddy Fay (Raheny Shamrock)
Performance Director: Elaine Fitzgerald (Waterford AC)
Doctor: Dr. Brendan O’Brien AAI Meidical Doctor
Physiotherapist: Afric Morrissey AAI Physiotherapist

Greetings from Performance Director

We have experienced a phenomenal beginning to 2004 – a year which promises to be a memorable one. It is Olympic Year, we have already qualified 9 athletes for the games, and we are sending a quality team of 13 athletes to the World Indoor Championships.

The team is composed of an exciting mix of seasoned major championship competitors and first timers. The Indoor season began in style with us taking home 7 medals from the AAA’s, taking gold in 3 of the six sprint events and a number of PB’s. The team is majorly dominated by sprinters but James Nolan and Maria McCambridge showing class form in the indoors season are carrying the flag for the Middle Distance events. The recent breakthrough by 20 year old Adrian O’Dwyer has impressed many and we are excited about the future of high jumping in Ireland, an event which has a great history.

The World Indoor Championships is a great event. It is a time where we can realistically compete and take home medals, as Paul McKee proved last year. While last years record will be difficult to match nonetheless we look forward to athletes making it through many rounds and the relays to shine. The World Indoors is an important step in the build up to the Olympic Games and many of there athletes are using it as a guide to monitor their progress. While we do not have many of our Olympic Qualifiers present at the Games many of them focusing on August we are fielding an exciting squad of athletes.

Elaine Fitzgerald
Performance Director

The World Indoor Championships in Budapest provides an ideal opportunity for Irish athletes preparing for the Olympic Games in Athens. The performances at these Championships will be a strong foundation on which the final preparations for Athens can be made. Wishing each and everyone of you every success

Michael Quinlan
Olympic Team Manager

The athlete’s with links to their name provide a biography on that athlete

Team

Men
60m
Gary Ryan (Nenagh Olympic)
Paul Brizzel (Ballymena & A)

200m
Paul Brizzel (Ballymena & A)
Paul Hession (Athenry)

400m
David Mc Carthy (Celbridge)
Rob Daly (DSD)

1500m
James Nolan (UCD)

HJ
Adrian O’Dwyer (KCH)

4x400m Relay
(From: McCarthy, Daly, Ryan, David Gillick (DSD))

Women
200m
Ciara Sheehy (DCH)

400m
Karen Shinkins (DCH)
Joanne Cuddihy (UCD)

3000m
Maria McCambridge (DSD)