The Irish team for next month's World Indoor Championships in Lisbon will be finalised by the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) this evening and is unlikely to include any surprise selections. Seven athletes have achieved the official qualifying standards and, of those, Sonia O'Sullivan has already been pre-selected for the 1,500 and 3,000 metres.
Mark Carroll reinforced his intentions for a major challenge in the 3,000 metres after recording an indoor personal best for the mile on Sunday. The Corkman clocked three minutes 54.52 seconds when winning the New England title at Boston University's Armoury track - a marginal improvement on the 3.54.98 he ran a year ago in New York.
In what was his first race since finishing third in Wanamaker Mile earlier this month, Carroll made a clear display of his strength by running more than half the distance on his own. Paced through 600 metres in 1.26 by his training partner, Donal O'Sullivan, he then soloed his way to a track record.
Rui Silva, of Portugal, who took silver behind Carroll at last year's European Indoor Championships in Ghent, will be one of his main rivals in Lisbon after setting a national record of 3.52.18 when winning in Stockholm last Thursday - the fastest in the world this year.
James Nolan also set a season's best of 3.38.23 for 1,500 metres in Birmingham at the weekend, and he too is assured of his place on the Irish team. US-based Daniel Caulfield, who improved Nolan's indoor 800 metre record to 1.47.21 earlier this month, is also certain of selection. Joining them will be Peter Coghlan, who achieved the qualifying time for the 60 metre hurdles earlier this month.
Karen Shinkins and Ciara Sheehy will complete the women's entries. Shinkins lowered her Irish indoor 400 metre record to 52.74 seconds earlier this month, and a recent bout of gastroenteritis shouldn't lower her ambitions of making the latter stages. Sheehy is likely to be selected for both the 60 metres and 200 metres.
Carroll, meanwhile, will return to Europe later this week and have one more race in Sindelfingen in Germany prior to the world indoors, which run from March 9th11th. Only then will he decide whether to go for the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin two weeks later.
