LETTERKENNY'S Joanne English, first year B.Ed student in St Patrick's College, is the only Irish athlete to have received an invitation from Dame Kelly Holmes, double Olympic champion, to compete in a 1500 metres invitation race this Saturday in Birmingham.

The race is scheduled in the middle of the European Indoor finals at the magnificent National Indoor Arena and is a fantastic opportunity for Joanne in front of 5,000 spectators to sample what it is like to compete at a major televised international athletics championship.

Joanne will compete with eight other "On Camp with Kelly" girls as part of a mentoring programme to help aspiring young athletes to compete to their full potential by gaining invaluable experience at such major events. Joanne is also the only Irish athlete on Kelly's mentoring programme since 2005, and last summer she had the opportunity to compete in the outdoor Grand Prix meetings at Crystal Palace and Birmingham.

On Saturday next, March 10, Joanne travels to Claremorris to pick up the Robin Sykes Athletics Ireland award for athletic excellence during her juvenile years with her home club of Letterkenny Athletic Club.

Joanne received four all-star national athletics awards during her juvenile years and this award is a special award in recognition of her multi talents over track and field, indoor, cross-country and multi-events including the pentathlon over a very distinguished juvenile career.