World Champion Rob Heffernan And Brendan Boyce Selected For 50km Race Walk Event at Europeans

Athletics Ireland has today announced that reigning World Champion Rob Heffernan (Togher AC) has been selected to compete in the 50km Race Walk at the European Track and Field Championships in Zurich on the 15th of August.

Heffernan will be joined on the team by training partner Brendan Boyce (Letterkenny AC). The full Irish Team for the European Track and Field Championships in Zurich will be announced after the National Track and Field Championships on the 21st of July and is expected to be one of the largest Irish teams ever to compete at the championships.

Championship Form

Four years ago at the European Championships in Barcelona Heffernan finished fourth in both the 20km and 50km events. Since then Heffernan's has gone on to place fourth at the London Olympics the best-ever Irish Olympic result in the distance and he recorded an Irish record of 3:37.54. Last August the Corkman made history by becoming Ireland's third ever World Champion when he struck gold in Moscow in 2013.

Boyce also an experienced championship performer has steadily improved his placing and times over the last four years. Boyce finished 15th at the 2011 World University Games and within a year of that performance he placed 29th at the London 2012 Olympics. At last year's World Championships in Moscow Boyce improved again to finish in 25th place in a new personal best of 3:54.24.

Current Form

Both Heffernan and Boyce have been preparing for the European Championships by undertaking rigorous training camps at altitude and competing in shorter 20km races. Heffernan set a season best of 1:20.57 when placing fifth in the Race Walking Grand Prix in Lugano in March. Boyce also competed in Lugano finishing 25th in a time of 1:26.33. The preparations continued in China at the Race Walking World Cup when Heffernan recorded a time of 1:21.00 and Boyce posted a time of 1:26.55.

Most recently Heffernan secured a fine victory at the Naumburg International Race Walking Grand Prix on Sunday, 18th of May over 20km with a time of 1:21.07.