ATHLETICS:Saturday's Belfast International cross country races will have to do without the main Irish attraction after Fionnuala Britton yesterday informed the race organisers of her withdrawal. Four weeks after proving a match for Europe's best under-23 cross country exponents Britton was intent on matching herself against some of the world's best, but that will now have to wait until later in the season.
Though still only 22 the Wicklow runner was due to lead the Irish challenge in Saturday's event, set once again for Stormont Estate and this year celebrating its 30th anniversary. Britton's excellent effort at the European event in Italy on December 10th, where she collected under-23 silver, significantly raised her profile, and the Belfast organisers were quick to add her to their list of elite competitors.
They also went one better by including the woman who narrowly beat Britton in Italy, Binnaz Uslu from Turkey. But race organiser Brian Hill was informed of Britton's withdrawal last evening, prompted it seems by concerns over a little tiredness and over-racing.
"Of course it is disappointing," said Hill, "but there are still several athletes of true international calibre, as well as Mary Cullen from Sligo, who I expect would have been pushing for the top Irish position anyway."
These include Ethiopia's Etalemahu Kidane, who is going for a hat-trick of Stormont victories. Kidane was 13th in the world cross country last year.
Also starting will be Kidane's compatriot Teyiba Erkesso, winner of the Brussels Cross Cup on December 17th and a bronze medallist from the 2004 world cross-country, and the young Kenyan Mary Neugi-Wacera.
Cullen finished fourth in Belfast last year, and after a somewhat disappointing 14th at the Europeans she will be aiming for a big run and is almost certain to again be the first Irish finisher.
The men's race, which last year included Alistair Cragg, has failed to attract similar interest this time, and it is left to Dublin's Mark Kenneally and Vinny Mulvey and Donegal's Gary Murray to challenge the strong African presence, which includes Ethiopia's emerging star Ibrahim Jeylan and Uganda's Moses Kipsiro.
Saturday's programme offers 12 races attracting around 1,000 competitors and is part of the UK Cross Country Challenge - a series with some £10,000 (€15,000) in prizes on offer, the other events being in Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff and Nottingham.
Cragg, meanwhile, is gearing up for the indoor season with the intention of defending his European 3,000-metre title in Birmingham in early March. His first race is likely to be at the Boston Indoor Games on January 27th.
