Carey climbs wall for Berlin

Michelle Carey has been included on the Irish team for the forthcoming World Athletic Championships which take place in Berlin from Saturday, 15th August to Sunday, 23rd August and she plans to take part despite receiving no financial help in her preparations this year. Carey, a Dublin native whose parents Kevin and Carmel live in Trim, has been selected to represent her country in the 400-metre hurdles. However, the 28-year-old athlete, a qualified primary school teacher, has had to finance herself this year as she prepares to compete against the best in Europe. She received funding last year from the Irish Sports Council, but none since the start of 2009. Attached to Dublin Striders AC, Carey ensured her place on the Irish team when she won the 400-metre hurdles in the Irish National Championships at Morton Stadium last month. Carey has dominated the 400m hurdles in Ireland over the past nine years. She also helped her cause for Berlin when she achieved the B standard in Barcelona in late July. Carey is based in England and trains at Loughborough University among a number of Irish athletes which includes high performing sprinter David Gillick and she has sought to eke out an existence by saving from last year's funding combined with some part-time work. However, the lack of funding has proved to be a source of frustration to those who support Carey in her quest to maximise her talents. "Michelle was very frugal with the money she got last year and she has used it to survive, the only year she got funding was last year," said her father Kevin, who added that if his daughter wanted to do some warm weather training she would have to finance the trip herself. "Michelle has to appeal for her funding and I went through an awful lot of loops and hoops, but her appeal was turned down. I asked why, and I couldn't get any reason why she wasn't being funded as opposed to David Chamney, who is being funded and Deirdre Ryan who are both on B standard. "I'm not taking anything from these athletes, don't get me wrong, but there's no transparency, why are they being funded, Mary Cullen is being funded for €20,000 as is Fionnuala Britton and they are not even going out to the championships. Other athletes at B standard have got funding, but Michelle hasn't, that's the bottom line. " Carey is one of 14 athletes included on the Irish team and she will join experienced teams members such as Gillick, Derval O'Rourke, Paul Hession and Eileen O'Keeffe. The main medal hopes will be on Gillick in the mens 400m and Hession in the 200m. Carey will take part in her first heat in the championships on Monday, 17th August at 6.15. Carey has her own experience to draw on as she seeks to make an impression in the Europeans including an appearance in last year's Beijing Olympic Games. She wasn't included in the original Irish squad for Beijing as she hadn't obtained the A standard for automatic qualification. In a change of attitude the Olympic Council of Ireland decided to add three athletes with B standard to the travelling party. Carey was drafted in along with Pauline Curley and Chamney. Carey didn't get beyond the first heat at Beijing and she's hoping for better fortunes in Berlin this time around.