TEAM IRELAND READY FOR EUROPEAN ATHLETICS BATTLE WITH MEDAL AMBITIONS HIGH IN BIRMINGHAM

Kate O’Connor and Rhasidat Adeleke will carry some of Ireland’s strongest medal hopes into the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, with both entering the event as proven performers on the international stage. 

 

Kate, the World silver medallist in 2025, has emerged as one of the leading names in the heptathlon, adding global and European medals to her growing list of achievements. Rhasidat, an Olympic finalist and one of the world’s leading sprint talents, will compete in the women’s 200m and play a key role in Ireland’s women’s 4x400m relay challenge.

 

Sharlene Mawdsley has been cleared to compete after injury concerns following the 123.ie National Senior Track and Field Championships in Santry. She will line up in the women’s 400m and join Rhasidat in a highly rated 4x400m relay squad featuring some of Ireland’s strongest female athletes.

 

Athletics Ireland has selected a 20-athlete team for Birmingham, combining established international medallists with emerging talent aiming to make an impact on the European stage.

 

Mark English, a two-time European bronze medallist, will once again lead Ireland’s middle-distance challenge in the men’s 800m. He will be joined by Cian McPhillips, who continues to make significant progress at international level. Cian has established himself as one of Ireland’s most promising 800m athletes, bringing strong championship experience, impressive speed and the ability to compete with Europe’s best over two laps.

 

Andrew Coscoran leads the men’s 1500m challenge, while Sarah Healy, the European indoor 3000m champion, will compete in both the women’s 1500m and 5000m. Sophie O’Sullivan joins Sarah in the 1500m after reclaiming the national title in a championship-record 4:05.62, surpassing the previous mark set by her mother Sonia.

 

In the sprint events, Israel Olatunde and Bori Akinola will compete in the men’s 100m, Sean Aigboboh in the men’s 200m, Lauren Roy in the women’s 200m and Sarah Lavin in the women’s 100m hurdles.

 

Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs will represent Ireland in the men’s 5000m, while Jack O’Leary takes on the men’s 10,000m. Five-time Olympian Fionnuala McCormack leads the women’s marathon team, with David McGlynn, Ryan Creech and Paul O’Donnell selected for the men’s marathon. Nicola Tuthill will compete in the women’s hammer throw, while David Kenny and Oisin Lane contest the race walks.

 

TEAM IRELAND 

 

100m

Israel Olatunde

 

100m hurdles

Sarah Lavin

 

200m

Sean Aigboboh

Rhasidat Adeleke

Lauren Roy

 

400m

Sharlene Mawdsley

 

800m

Cian McPhillips

Mark English

 

1500m

Andrew Coscoran

Sophie O’Sullivan

 

1500m & 5000m

Sarah Healy

 

5000m

Darragh McElhinney

Nick Griggs

 

Heptathlon

Kate O’Connor

 

10,000m

Jack O’Leary

 

Hammer throw

Nicola Tuthill

 

Half marathon race walk

David Kenny

 

Marathon race walk

Oisin Lane

 

Women’s marathon

Fionnuala McCormack

 

Men’s marathon

David McGlynn

Ryan Creech

Paul O’Donnell

 

RELAY TEAMS

 

Men’s 4x100m relay

Israel Olatunde, Sean Aigboboh, Bori Akinola, Marcus Lawler, Ryan Mulholland, Lucas Fadden

 

Women’s 4x100m relay

Ciara Neville, Lauren Roy, Lucy-May Sleeman, Sarah Leahy, Mollie O’Reilly, Molly Scott

 

Men’s 4x400m relay

Jack Rafferty, Andrew Egan, Sean Doggett, Joe Doody, Ciaran Carthy, Darragh Murphy

 

Women’s 4x400m relay

Rhasidat Adeleke, Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker, Rachel McCann, Cliodhna Manning, Arlene Crossan

 

The initial squad announcement confirms athletes who have achieved the required ‘A’ standards, with further selections through rankings and Athletics Ireland ‘B’ standards to be confirmed once European Athletics publishes the final qualifier list.

 

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Photos : Sportsfile