Stephen Scullion has been selected by Team Ireland for the Marathon in this Summer’s Olympic Games. The Marathon team and 50k Race Walks team were announced this morning. Stephen will become Clonliffe’s first Olympian since 2012 when Alistair Cragg in the 5,000 and Mark Kenneally in the marathon both competed in the London Games. He will also become Clonliffe Harriers’ 21st Olympic athlete, the 16th for Ireland and when Team officials and technical officials are included will become Clonliffe’s 26th. Over the years the marathon has been the event which has featured the most Clonliffe athletes: Gerry McIntyre 1960, Danny McDaid 1972, Jerry Kiernan 1984 and Kenneally in 2012.
The Marathon and 50k Walk were originally scheduled to take place in Tokyo but were moved to the more northern city of Sapporo where the temperatures are expected to be more suited to endurance events.
Paul McNamara, Athletics Ireland Performance Director said, “This has been a unique, protracted and challenging qualifying campaign for these athletes with postponement, change of venue, limited qualifying opportunities, and the vagaries of the new qualification system, but these athletes have risen to the many challenges and now are primed to put in their very best performance on the greatest of stages”.
The President, Committee and members of Clonliffe Harriers AC extend our warmest congratulation to Stephen on this proud day for our club.