Dismay as Fagan misses out on shot at Euro glory

"Bizarre" is one word which has been used this week, to describe the news that Mullingar Harriers athlete and Olympic distance runner Martin Fagan has been left out of the 30-strong panel of Irish athletes, who will participate in the forthcoming European Athletics Championships in Barcelona.Fagan - who represented Ireland at the Beijing Olympics two years ago - will not join Harriers colleague Mark Christie for the championships in Spain, which kick off on July 27.Christie, who won the 1,500m event at the National Championships in Santry last weekend, will don the green singlet in the 5,000m race in Barcelona.But the Flagstaff, Arizona-based Fagan, against all expectations, will not participate in the marathon at Europe's top athletics event.A spokesperson for Athletics Ireland confirmed this week that Fagan's absence at the Nationals last Sunday would have been the main reason for his omission from the panel of thirty athletes."As part of the selection criteria, all athletes are requested to compete in some event at the National Championships," the spokesperson told the Westmeath Examiner. "Martin did not appear the Nationals last weekend".The spokesperson added that the fact that Fagan is currently in the United States would not have counted as an excuse for not presenting himself at Santry.The decision to omit Ireland's number one distance runner from the team has puzzled many athletics luminaries in Fagan's native Mullingar, not least among them Mullingar Harriers co-founder, Bobbie Begley."How can a person who intends to run a marathon in Barcelona, be expected to come home from the U.S. to take part in the Nationals, when there wasn't even a marathon on at the Nationals?" Mr. Begley asked, describing the decision to omit Fagan as "bizarre".When this point was put to Athletics Ireland, their spokesperson said that the Mullingar athlete would have been expected to participate in the 10,000 metres at Santry, in order to put himself forward for selection.DisappointedBut citing the fact that Fagan has just recovered from injury, Bobbie Begley remarked that world silver medallist Olive Loughnane is still in the Irish squad bound for Spain, despite having to pull out of the Nationals on medical advice."We are delighted and so proud to see Mark [Christie] heading to Barcelona, but we are disappointed that our two athletes have not been named," he said on behalf of the Harriers club.Martin Fagan's father, Mickey Fagan, said that despite still suffering from the effects of recent injury problems, his son was "quite willing and able" to take on Europe's best at Barcelona."It's a huge disappointment for him," he said. "He walked away with the Great Ireland Run only a couple of months ago."