Alistair Cragg: now 28, Beijing will be Alistair’s second Olympic Games. He won the gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in 2005 and booked his Beijing place with a great run of 3.36.18 in California a year ago.
Fionnuala Britton, Women’s 3000m steeplechase: a highly talented middle distance prospect comes from Wicklow Town and recently gained a ‘first’ in sports science and health at DCU in addition to running for Ireland at major championships at home and overseas.
Always a renowned cross country runner, she is an Under 23 European cross country silver medalist. Fionnuala makes her Olympic debut in Beijing, aged 24, and gained Olympic qualification last July in Germany. She was also a finalist in the World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
Roisin McGettigan,women’s 3,000m Steeplechase
From Wicklow Town, Roisin is now 28 and has a masters degree in counseling from Providence College, Rhode Island, USA. She took up athletics at the age of 7 and has been a consistent and impressive middle distance performer at all grades from junior up.
She is now a fulltime athlete, splitting her year between Europe and the USA. She crowned a brilliant 2007 by winning a silver medal at the World Athletic Finals in Stuttgart and finished 10th in the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Beijing will be her first Olympics.