Two Athlone IT students will represent Ireland at the upcoming European Cross Country Championships which will be held in Chia, Sardinia on Sunday, December 11.
Liam Brady, from Coolderry and a member of Tullamore Harriers AC, will compete as a member of the Irish senior men’s team, while Karl Fitzmaurice, from Shannon and a member of Ennis Track AC, will represent Ireland in the U23 race.
Both athletes earned their selection having excelled at the National Cross Country Championships held at Sport Ireland Campus on Sunday, November 27. Brady had the race of his life, finishing fourth and outsprinting Paul Pollock, who ran the third fastest time by an Irishman in an Olympic Marathon at the Rio Olympics this past summer, on the home straight. Fitzmaurice earned automatic selection when crowned National U23 Champion in the same race.
Both athletes are full-time students at AIT and have utilised the outstanding sports facilities and support services in the college to create their optimal high-performance training environment while pursuing degrees, Liam Brady a degree in civil engineering and Karl Fitzmaurice a degree in sports science.
Professor Ciaran O’Cathain, president of AIT, said: “We are immensely proud of the achievements of both Liam and Karl. Their preparation has been second to none in pursuit of their goal of selection for these European Championships. We believe that the AIT environment, facilities and supports we have in place for aspiring top class sportspeople have played a major role in the performances of our students. We wish both Liam and Karl the very best in Sardinia.”
