Fionnuala Britton & Ailis McSweeney in Irish Team for European Championships
Thursday 3 August

Two DCU athletes, Fionnuala Britton & Ailis McSweeney have been selected as part of a team of 29 Irish athletes to compete in the European Championship in Gothenberg from the 7th-13th August 2006. Fionnuala will compete in the 3000m steeplechase and Ailis will compete as part of the 4x100m relay team.

Fionnuala is a 3rd year BSc Sport Science and Health. Fionnuala is a member of Sli Chulainn AC in Co. Wicklow and has been the best junior woman over cross-country for the past 3 years. Fionnuala has competed at 5 World cross country championships at junior and senior level. She has won 3 consecutive IUAA cross country championships and has competed at the last 2 World Student Games cross-country championships and the track and field championships in Turkey in summer 2005. At the recent World University Cross Country Championships in Algeria , Fionnuala led the Irish ladies team to 4th, finishing 6th overall in the race the best Irish placing for many years. Fionnuala is an integral part of the DCU Athletics programme, the Ladies Captain this year and a club committee member since she started in 2003.

Ailis is studying for an MA in Globalisation and is a member of Leevale AC in Cork . Ailis competed in the 2005 World Student Games in Izmir , Turkey in 2005 and finished 2nd in the 100m & 3rd in the 4 x100m Relay. She also competed in the World Indoor Athletic Championships in Moscow in March 2006, reaching the 60m semi finals. The Irish 4 X 100m relay team improved on the national record earlier this summer at the European Cup in Prague, and hope to lower the record again in Gothenberg.