Irish Athletes Ready to do Battle with Top European Track & Field Stars

The excitement, anticipation, and momentum is now really gathering pace for the 2013 European Athletics Team Championships 1st League, which takes place at the Morton Stadium, Santry, this Saturday and Sunday June 22 / 23rd.

The fifty strong Irish Team of international track and field athletes is ready to give it all on home turf over the two hotly anticipated days of athletics competition in the challenge to finish in the top ten of twelve competing European teams, and retain it's prized 1st league status.

Team selections have now been finalised, and the challenge has been laid to all 650 competing athletes in the 20 events for Men and Women - to compete against their top European peers and to win place points for Team, Country and status.

All twelve teams have recently announced changes to their final Team make-up due to illness or injury, and this will only add to the charged but inclusive atmosphere expected on and in the famous Morton track and field this Saturday and Sunday.

Some of Europe's and the World's top athletes will be in action this weekend at the prestigious event.

In the men's 100m, Ireland's Jason Smyth (City of Derry AC, season's Best - SB 10.36) will be lining up against the great Dutch master Churandy Martina, who has a sparkling personal best time of 9.91, and who finished 6th behind one Usain Bolt in the London 2012 Olympic final.

Ireland's first sub-10 second 100m run may well be on the cards if the weather is right, but regardless the competition will be red hot in all of the events this weekend.

Over 200m, Ireland's latest sprint sensation and Schools champion Marcus Lawler (St L O'Toole AC.,18, SB 20.87) will be really looking forward to taking on Belgium's 2012 Olympic 400m finalist Jonathan Borlée (SB 20.73) in the 'turn and burn' sprint event, and competing beyond his years against the likes of the Czech Republic's Pavel Maslek (SB 20.67) also, the 2013 European Indoor 400m Champion, for top event points.

One of the most anticipated events of the weekend will be the men's 400m where Ireland's and Clonliffe Harriers man Brian Gregan, who has been in excellent form of late setting a new PB for the one lap event of 45.53 only last week, will be up against 'the other' of the Borlee brothers from Belgium, Kevin, who has a SB of 45.56. Kevin Borlee was the 2010 European Champion for the distance and a 400M finalist at last year's Olympics in London.

In the women's 100m, Ireland's Amy Foster (City of Lisburn AC, SB 11.55) will be relishing the opportunity to compete against the 2012 European 100m Champion Ivett Lalova of Bulgaria, who has been in good early form this season posting a SB time of 11.04, and who has very fast PB of 10.77 to her name for this pure dash event.

Similar to the men's 100m, Irish athletics fans may witness the country's first sub-11 second 100m run by a woman this weekend.

In the women's 400m Hurdles, Romania's in-form and former World Championship Finalist, Angela Morosanu will be the one to beat in this most challenging of events. Her time of 53.85 this season was a PB and Ireland's 2012 Olympian Jessie Barr (Ferrybank AC, SB 56.81) will be eager to get out fast and up, running and jumping against the other 10 athletes on the day.

There will also be big international names from the world of athletics in action in the in-field of course this weekend

None better than the men's 2012 Olympic Hammer Champion, Krisztian Pars of Hungary, who has been training in Dunboyne this week in preparation for this European Teams event, and who has thrown 80.45m so far this season. Ireland's Padraig White (Dunboyne AC, 66.09) will be looking to give the performance of his life in this strength but technical discipline.

The Morton Stadium will be graced though by another 2012 Olympic Champion this weekend. In the men's Discus, Estonia's Gert Kanter (65.23m) should lead the way in this most iconic of events, against the likes of Ireland's Colin Quirke (Crusaders AC, SB 52.80m) who will be following in his Irish Olympian father Paul's footsteps competing for Ireland in this event, and Eirk Cadee of the Netherlands who has thrown an impressive 64.48m this season.