European Indoors: Mageean among four NI athletes named in Ireland team for Belgrade

Ciara Mageean won a 1500m European outdoor bronze in Amsterdam last July

Ciara Mageean is among four Northern Ireland athletes named in an 11-strong Ireland team for next month's European Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Mageean, who won a European outdoor 1500m bronze last July, will run in the metric mile along with another Northern Ireland athlete Kerry O'Flaherty.

Holywood hurdler Ben Reynolds and sprinter Amy Foster have also been named in the Ireland team.

Foster will be joined in the 60m by emerging Limerick talent Ciara Neville.

Seventeen-year-old Neville equalled Anna Boyle's Irish record of 7.30 set in 2007 three weeks ago.

Foster showed decent form outdoors in Australia over the weekend when she ran the Commonwealth Games 100m standard with an 11.42 clocking - just 0.02 seconds outside her personal best.

Kerry O'Flaherty dominated the women's 1500m at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena

Mageean clinched victory in the 3,000m at the Irish Indoor Championships on Saturday while another Rio Olympian O'Flaherty won the 1500m title on Sunday.

North Down athlete Reynolds booked his spot by winning the Irish title on Sunday, after finishing a creditable fifth at the Birmingham Grand Prix on Saturday.

Clonliffe runner Brian Gregan is currently 10th in the European indoor 400m rankings while John Travers will have hopes of at least repeating his achievement of reaching the 1500m final at the last championships in Prague two years ago.

Zak Curran (DSD) and Tomas Cotter (Dunleer) make their European Indoor debuts in the 800m and 3,000m respectively while Sinead Denny and Phil Healy will race in the women's 400m.

Healy has also been named for the 60m but her principal focus in Belgrade will be the longer event.

Finn Valley stalwart Patsy McGonagle will manage the Ireland team in the Serbian capital.

Ireland team

Women

60m: Amy Foster (City of Lisburn), Ciara Neville (Emerald), Phil Healy (Bandon)

400m: Phil Healy, Sinead Denny (DSD)

1500m: Ciara Mageean (UCD), Kerry O'Flaherty (Newcastle)

Men

400m: Brian Gregan (Clonliffe)

800m: Z Curran (DSD)

1500m: John Travers (Donore)

3000m: Tomas Cotter (Dunleer)

60m hurdles: Ben Reynolds (North Down)