A team of seven athletes has been selected by Athletics Ireland to compete at the European 10,000m Cup. The competition will take place in Pacé, France, on Saturday 3 June 2023.
According to Athletics Ireland, the 2023 European 10,000m Cup is considered to be a "Performance Development event that can provide leading distance athletes with an opportunity to pursue qualification for major championships, and an opportunity to foster greater depth in the distance events in support of enhanced team performances at the European Cross Country Championships".
ATHLETICS IRELAND SELECT TEAM FOR EUROPEAN 10,000M CUP 🤩
Athletics Ireland have selected a team of seven athletes to compete at the European 10,000m Cup, which will take place in Pacé, France, on Saturday June 3rd.
Team annoucement 🔽https://t.co/ZogT4io5m4 pic.twitter.com/0qt44HCIEj— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) May 22, 2023
The team will be led by Efrem Gidey who had a breakthrough performance at last year's edition of this event with a 6th place finish in a then PB of 28:01.50. Ide Nic Dhomnaill (aged 39) will be seeking to add to her growing reputation after a superb 5km win with a time of 15:36 at the Peugeot Race Series on 16 May. Ide, who is also a mother of two, competed with her twin sister Sorcha at the 5000m Irish Health National Senior Track and Field Championships race last year, winning second and third place respectively. Sorcha (16.19) took silver, while Ide (16.20) took bronze, just one second behind her.
Shona Heaslip (aged 29) will return to international competition having last represented Ireland at an international event in 2018. Shona was the winner of the County Cross-Country Championships last year.
Kilkenny distance runner, Aoibhe Richardson (aged 27), who currently runs for Atalanta NYC, will also join the squad. Shona ran with Ireland's senior women's team at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships at La Mandria Park in Italy in December 2022, where they placed 3rd overall.
This squad will have sights set on both the team standings and individual performances.
