Not all the windows are closed; but snooze now and one may slam shut very abruptly

For the first time since 1 December, 2020, the day that the qualification window for the Tokyo 2020 re-opened, athletes are not currently trying to qualify for an Olympic Games or World Championships. The window for Paris closed on 30 June, and with next summer’s World Athletics Championships scheduled to start on 13 September 2025, as far as everyone is aware, there is to Road to [Global Championship] window open.

A brief respite from ranking points.

Or so you’d think.

***

The European Indoor Championships will be held in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, for 6-9 March next year. The qualification window opened earlier this year. Some athletes – including Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, Ciara Mageean, Sarah Healy, Brian Fay and Sarah Lavin - have already qualified having surpassed the relevant entry standards this year. Others will qualify by achieving the entry standard outdoors later this season or indoors in early 2025. 

However, as both the World and European governing bodies for the sport are still determined that half the field come from rankings, a not-insignificant number of people will have a much more convoluted journey to the Dutch city.

Now is possibly the most important time for them to be competing.

***

European Indoor Championships are often a target for athletes on the margins of international representation. The event has traditionally been an ideal first taste of competing at an international championship.

But things not near as straightforward as they used to be.

And getting there (or not) will teach an athlete some hard lessons on the flaws of the world ranking system.

***

If you’re hoping to race the 3000m in Apeldoorn, and you don’t reach the automatic standard of 7:43 indoors (or 7:36 outdoors) for men or 8:48 (8:39) for women, then you better have run at least two decent outdoor 5000m races during the qualification period.

Qualification by ranking for championships, even indoors, is based on the World Rankings, which are designed for outdoor events. Indoor competitions can count, but are valued less. And their contribution is limited, depending on the event.

Qualification for 3000m indoors is based on 5000m rankings, so at least two of the three performances that count towards an athlete’s final ranking must be outdoor 5000m races. Multievent athletes who wish to qualify by ranking must have at least one score from an outdoor decathlon (men) or heptathlon (women). 

400m hurdlers who race 400m indoors (what else are they going to be doing over the winter?), must count at least three outdoor 400m races among their five scoring events; 60m sprinters and sprinter hurdlers will need at least three performances from the longer outdoor equivalent of their event.

For 400m, 800m and 1500m athletes who’ve been injured all this season, the task is near impossible: their score too will need to include three outdoor performances, no matter how often they race indoors in January and February 2025, how many World Indoor Tour events they win or how close they get to the standard (unless, of course, they surpass it).

 ***

For once, field eventers aren’t being screwed. Because World Athletics no longer distinguishes between indoor and outdoor performances in throws and jumps, rankings for athletes in these events can include any combination of indoor and outdoor performances.

For the rest, it’s a minefield.

There is no sitting back and kicking in this game. If you’re not with the leaders now, someone who raced smarter will take your place.

101 Reasons why you should have attended last summer's Irish National Senior Champs

These are the 151 reasons I shared last July via Twitter on why you should attend the Irish Senior Championships. It turned out to be a pretty memorable championship, and most of these reasons are valid every year! See you all in Santry in late June 2024.

I was going to do a preview for this weekend's  #NationalSeniors, but thought that was too obvious, so instead I'm going to attempt to come up with #onehundredandfiftyonereasons to get your backside to Morton Stadium on Saturday and/or Sunday.

1. At 151 consecutive editions, it is the longest running national athletics championships anywhere in the world. Ever.

2. You might see someone you used to run with at college 20 years ago (I'm being generous). You remind each other of the good ol' days and that unforgettable intervarsities, and you'll both walk off thinking "gee, haven't I aged better than them!"

3. The weather is usually 'fresh' in Santry!

4. It'll get you off the sofa for one afternoon

5. The men's 1500m. Always the men's 15!

6. Waterjumps, especially if it's raining!

7. You won't have to sit through ad breaks!

8. You'll can do your own punditry, and see if you really are all that!

9. 400m heats! With no semi-finals at Irish nationals, the 400m heats are usually crazy (occasionally there are more heats than there are places in the final, so not even the winner is guaranteed a spot).

10. The women's high jump. Four athletes on the entry list have season's bests between 1.78 and 1.81. You try choosing a winner from Lecky, Kealy, Rogan and Rochford (or could it be someone else?).

11. Michelle Finn chasing down her 9th Irish steeplechase title. She already has more titles than anyone else in the event; if she wins her 9th she'll have more than EVERYONE else added together (that's a boast not even Terry McHugh can make!)

12. The men's 800m; always the men's 800m.

13. Not having to sit in an assigned seat; in fact not having to sit at all!

14. The women's LJ featuring the equal 2 second-longest Irish long jumpers ever. Ruby Millet and Elizabeth Ndudi both have PBs of 6.44. Ndudi took the title indoors, but who'll come out on top this time?

15. Getting to watch badass events like the weight for height. You don't get that at the diamond league!

16. The men's shot put. Eric Favors has thrown beyond 19.25 (the current CBP) in every one of his 14 outdoor competitions this year. And on Saturday last he got within 15cm of the Irish record he set way back in March. Expect him to add to his single outdoor title from 2019.

17. Nicola Tuthill. She, like Favors, has been super consistent this year with almost every throw further than she'd ever thrown before 2023! Her recent 4th at Euro U23s is the highest ever finish by an Irish field eventer at that level!

18. Ranking points. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate them, but the fact that some athletes still need them to get to Budapest should lead to some 'heroics'.

19. Possibly related to number 18: somebody will blow up and while we don't like to see that, the passion that makes it happen is exactly the reason why we love nationals so much.

20. You'll get to see the reigning #fantasynationalindoors champion (who also happens to be Ireland's fastest man) run the 100m!

21. Relays. Nobody stays for these, but that’s their loss. Don’t miss out on watching @RatoathAC, the Belgium of Irish inter-club relays, doing their thing! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

22. Olympians. Watch many of them, too numerous to mention individually, compete! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

23. Witness @fintanreilly cover more ground than all the athletes put together #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

24. Tom Barr, already a 10-time champion, has run 49.something in 7 different countries so far this summer; can he add Ireland to the list? Or is the second half of the season the 48.something tour? #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

25. There’ll be European U18, U20, U23 and senior medallists competing! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

26. There are at least nine national senior record holders entered. That number could rise as well as fall over the weekend! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

27. You could get to see Ireland’s fastest barrister zooming down the home straight! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

28. That one race that you think is weaker than normal and that then turns out to be an unforgettable battle #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

29. A cagey affair. Or two. #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

30. The pole vault. #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

31. The men’s 5000m. Darragh McElhinney won a very exciting race last year. But if both himself and Brian Fay show up, this could be even better. Both would like to sit and kick, but McElhinney still needs B standard and big points for Budapest! #onehundredandonereasons #nationalseniors

32. The men’s 5000m not all being about McElhinney and Fay #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

33. The women’s 1500m. If the top 3 race, it’ll be the highest standard domestic women’s 1500m there’s been in Ireland; if they don’t, it’ll be an exciting battle to see who can snatch a medal. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

34. Because we have no idea who the real star will be! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

35. The fact that there are Road to Paris ranking points on offer too! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

36. The men’s 200m. A big performance could see Mark Smyth sneak into quota spot for Budapest. He gave us fireworks indoors; could we get fireworks outdoors too (where they’re a bit safer)? #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

37. The weather! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

38. Sarah Lavin will be chasing her 8^th national 100m hurdles title. Derval O’Rourke holds the record at 9, but her CBP of 12.95, run with a +4.1m/s wind will be the first of her marks that Lavin will be chasing down. Will she even need a tailwind! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

39. Rhasidat Adeleke! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

40. The lovely new blue track #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

41. I’ll be there! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors #scrapingthebarrell

42. The men’s 400m. There are mixed relay spots on the line. While it may appear obvious right now who’ll be getting those, you never know who could spring a big surprise. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

43. Nostalgia. Particularly if you remember the shed! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

44. Pre-competition nerves, especially if you’re not actually competing! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

45. The women’s 5000m could feature Roisin and Eilish Flanagan, who’ll both be looking for their first national senior title! Roisin has been very close to both the B standard for Budapest and a quota spot; perhaps they have a plan! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

46. All the other potential stories in the women’s 5000m. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

47. The men’s LJ could be every bit as good a battle as the women’s equivalent! Reece Ademola, Sam Healy and Shane Howard are the ones to watch out for, but it’s long jump, so don’t expect it to be a foregone conclusion! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

48. Saragh Buggy. She already has 10 national titles (7 x TJ and 3 x LJ). Not only is she the clear favourite for the triple jump (where she holds the CBP at 13.01m), but she is the third best long jumper in the country this season. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

49. Women’s 100m. Bet you nobody is going to pick that one in #fantasynationalseniors! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

50. The men’s b and c 5000m races. They won’t be the highest quality races of the weekend, but don’t expect them to be any less competitive! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

51. Getting to see airplanes heading out from Dublin airport #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

52. Ikea: either having the opportunity to hit it on the way there, or having an excuse not so spend Sunday afternoon there! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

53. Decathlon (the shop, not the event; multis were last week!) #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

54. Hoping it’s warm/dry enough to sit on the grassy bank! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

55. It’s free in for those under 16; much cheaper and less noisy than Playzone on a Saturday afternoon. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

56. It’s only £10 per day for grown-ups, which is much cheaper and a lot easier than [whatever concert they’re all in a queue for today]. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

57. The 10-lane home straight! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

58. Circuit-level lane packing in the 800m finals! (If you’ve ever watched a world tour gold meet from anywhere in Europe, you’ll know what I mean!) #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

59. Joining the dedicated souls who’ve taken up residence on the back straight stand, and dearly wanting to be part of their community! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

60. The general buzz #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

61. @gabrielkehinde0 might get to interview himself and his fellow sprinters again; you wouldn’t want to miss that! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

62. Someone will win their first national title and doing so will mean the world to them! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

63. You could be inspired to chase your own sporting goal! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

64. There’ll be at least someone trying to catch the action for free from behind the gate in the park (did I mention already how cheap it is?) #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

65.  You’ll get to have that conversation again about how Morton Stadium could really do with a couple of big screens on days like this, preferably showing live field event results. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

66. You can share your opinions on how there’d be a bigger crowd here if you were in charge! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

67. You might get to catch up on some gossip #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

68. The hurling is over. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

69. You get to spot who’s been called for doping control! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

70. You get to sense how everyone thinks they can win with men’s 800m with 220m to go! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

71. You get to sense how everyone thinks they can win with men’s 1500m with 420m to go! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

72. retweet one

73. You get so see some racewalking up close! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

74. The women’s 400m, and not really knowing who’s in what shape until they line up and race each other! It’s not like they haven’t been racing all season, but there’s still the expectation that none of them have quite peaked yet! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

75. Having 151 opinions on who should get the relay spots! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

76. Ciara Mageean. She’s broken three national senior records (800m, 1500m, mile) and won Commonwealth Games and European Champs medals since last year! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

77. Seeing the pure joy on the faces of children who are here for the first time. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

78. Remembering your first time! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

79. Sophie O’Sullivan, and being reminded that you’re old enough to have seen her mum run here too! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

80. Getting to cheer on your #FantasyNationalSeniors team in person #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

81. You might get to see Ireland’s fastest quantum physicist in action over two laps! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

82. The women’s 800m. Always the women’s 800m! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

83. The men’s 110m hurdles and seeing if last year’s record -8.3m/s headwind can be beaten #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

84. The men’s steeplechase and seeing just how close Jayme Rossiter gets to those barriers! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

85. Having a day off ‘listening’ to me on Twitter #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

86. There being at least one finish that’s too close to call, but still being sure you know who got it, from your slightly obscured vantage point near the 100m start! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

87. You might get an autograph or two! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

88. Seeing past champions being honoured (do they even do that any more), and berating yourself, again, for fluffing that one shot you had at a title back in 2010, for example. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

89. The athletes deserve a crowd. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

90. The athletes will appreciate a crowd. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

91. You’ll be missed if you don’t go! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

92. You’ll miss out if you don’t go! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

93. Because three years ago we couldn’t attend! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

94. Your sofa needs a day off too. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

95. You might get to see someone who set their PB in the 1980s compete! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

96. You can’t really get a full appreciation of how complicated the pole vault is until you see it in person. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

97. You won’t have to cut away from the steeplechase at the 2k point to see a foul in the long jump #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

98. You won’t have to cut away from the long jump to watch the steeplechase. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

99. You’ll be reminded of how young you once used to be. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

100. Maybe nobody will notice if you hop on the track for a nostalgic lap after the event is over. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

101. Because the Olympics are less than one year away; there’s no better way to start the hype! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

102. Have I mentioned the men’s 1500m already? It could be magic #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

103. If you cheer the athletes, they’ll might actually hear you. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

104. Someone might (accidentally) as you for your autograph! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

105. You can rewatch all the action on the Player/Youtube later, so you might as well come soak up the atmosphere. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

106. You definitely don’t get the full atmosphere on the telly anyway. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

107. You might get so see some of the rising stars before they head away to the Euro U20s. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

108. You might get talking to somebody more interesting than yourself. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

109. You might see an old friend.

110. You might make a new one. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

111. It’s cheaper than the Olympics. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

112. It’s cheaper than most other sporting events. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

113. There’s no lottery for the tickets. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

114. It might be fine enough on Saturday for a pre-event picnic! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

115. We can argue about the recycling of the 150^th thing! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

116. We can celebrate the lack of recycling the 150m thing! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

117. You might realise you’re not the biggest athletics nerd around. 

118. You might realise you are! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

119. You’ll be able to say you were there, did that, and bought the tee-shirt (there’ll definitely be tee-shirts for sale, right?) #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

120. If you’ve written a book about running, you could probably sell a few copies. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

121. You might get to see Niamh Fogarty win her 5^th national senior discus title #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

122. Someone might come from the depths of hell #depthsofhell #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

123. You will hear @FeidhlimKelly shouting for this @dublintrackclub athletes. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

124. Have I mentioned the men’s 8 and the men’s 15? Andrew Coscoran dropping down to the two laps makes both of them more difficult to call, and potentially far more exciting. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

125. The more people that are there, the less windy it’ll feel! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

126. It’ll be less crowded than Dundrum Town Centre at the weekend. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

127. You might get to see Michaela Walsh win her 6^th consecutive national senior shot put title. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

128. You might see Sean Mockler winning his third consecutive hammer title. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

129. Somebody might actually break 15 metres in the men’s triple jump! Three have been very close so far this season, which could make for a close and exciting event. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

130. Nobody has successfully defended their 10km walk title since Alex Wright in 2016. Will it be another new winner: the 6th different one in 7 years since; or will David Kenny add a third title? Come and find out. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

131. Day 1 will be way better than your average Sat at nationals. The 3 women’s track finals should feature the superstars Rhasidat Adeleke (200m) and Sarah Lavin (100mH) and double Olympian and 8-time national champion Michelle Finn (3000m S/C). #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

132. And Nichola Tuthill (HT), Saragh Buggy (TJ) and Eric Favors (SP) should ensure some field event fireworks on day 1, with a potential too-close to call, 4-way battle in the women’s HJ. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

133. Morton stadium always scrubs up well for the big occasion! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

134. You’ll get to see some national U20 and U23 champions crowned too! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

135. You might see David Cussen win this 4^th national title, and thereby become the most prolific male high jumper this century! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

136. You’re guaranteed to see a brand new, first-time champion in the men’s javelin! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

137. You might see a great battle between Grace Casey (2017 and 2021 champ) and Kate O’Connor (2020 and 2022 champ) in the women’s javelin. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

138. Half the 8-man pole vault field have won this title before (including one in the 1980s); but there are at least two others who could win if the stars align for either of them on Sunday! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

139. There will be no final three nonsense. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

140. There will be no repechage rounds. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

141. There will be no hot seats. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

142. You might have to walk a mile to the stadium, but the exercise will do you good. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

143. You could bump into your old biomechanics lecturer! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

144. It’s the last big domestic competition of the summer (masters athletes, I know; don’t @ me!) #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

145. You might get to meet the infamous seagull! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

146. You can join the stampede to leave the stadium at 8.25pm on Sunday! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

147. I’ll make sure the word ‘innovation’ isn’t even mentioned! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

148. The weather might actually be ok! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

149. It will be great. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

150. It will be really great. #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

151. Because I went to all this effort to let you know just how special National Seniors are! #onehundredandfiftyonereasons #nationalseniors

A vintage year: The 2022 season in five races

It's been a great year! Let's make it last a little bit longer. My five favourite races from the 2022 track season!

No 5. Ireland's fastest women

Women’s 100m final, Irish Senior Championships, Morton Stadium, Santry, 26 June

It was touted as a rare opportunity for an Irish audience to see, live and in-person, sprint sensation Rhasidat Adeleke, the woman who’d re-written the Irish record books already in 2022. A demonstration. The Adeleke show.

Molly Scott, who’d knocked chunks off the Irish indoor 60m record before Adeleke got her hands on it, had other ideas. This, afterall, is the one distance at which Adeleke doesn’t top the Irish all-time list.

Scott, injured early season, had a quiet build-up. Adeleke, jet lagged, was coming off the back of a busy NCAA season where she’d raced mostly over the longer distances.

Could this even be someone else’s day?

The Morton crowd waited.

After a start disrupted by in-field commentary, the 7-woman field were recalled to their marks. Sarah Leahy in two. Lane three vacant. Scott in four. Sarah Lavin in five. Lauren Roy in six. Adeleke in seven. Joan Healy in eight. And Lucy-May Sleeman on the outside in lane nine. Ireland’s fastest women.

Silence, this time, for the start.

And away they went.

Scott, powering out of her blocks, kept the head down. Her arms propelling her down the track. Adeleke was quicker to rise, her long, looping stride eating up the ground. But the Carlow woman was ahead. Driving for that line. Striving not to be caught…

…right until the last stride of the race.

Scott leaned. Adeleke leaned further.

This one had gone right down to the wire.

No 4. Olatunde versus the clock

Men’s 100m final, European Senior Championships, Olympic Stadium, Munich, 16 August

He’d already done so much just getting to the final. The fastest overall, a 10.19 PB and an Irish U23 record to make it through the first round. Second place and an Auto Q in the semi-final. We’d seen what that meant to him. We knew what it meant to all of us. The first Irishman to make a 100m final at a major senior championship. But it meant so much more than that too. Ireland had arrived, and not just at this European Championships.

Just hours after the greatest race of his young life, Olatunde was lining up to do it all again. He’d drawn lane seven for the final, right next door to Lamont Marcell Jacobs, the Olympic Champion. European U23 Champion Jeremy Azu was to his outside.

The twenty-year-old Olatunde got out safely. But Jacobs was pulling clear of the field. It’s the point which so much can go wrong. Olatunde looked to be last of the eight, but he wasn’t being left behind. This was going to be no disgrace. He remained composed. And then he found something. He dipped for the line as if he’d done this a thousand times before.

Jacobs was the clear winner. The title was his. 9.95. An equal championship best.

Zarnel Hughes took silver. He too dipping under 10 seconds.

There had been daylight between those two and the rest of the field.

The moments ticked on slowly as, one-by-one, the times appeared on the scoreboard.

Azu in third. 10.13 PB. Time for the Welshman to unleash his joyous celebration.

Ján Volko, Slovak Republic, 10.16 in fourth.

This was going to be tight.

Mouhamadou Fall, France, fifth in 10.17.

Dammit! Had had let this one get away? Surely he was next?

More moments that seemed like minutes.

And then, there it was: 6. Olatunde 10.17.

The NR didn’t appear on the graphics, but we all knew what those numbers meant. Israel Olatunde, who started the year with a 10.41 best had been running PBs since May and had already picked up Irish U23 records in June, July and August. Now he was the fastest Irishman of any age.

What a stage to do it on!

Olatunde, too, had arrived.

No 3: A game of cat and mouse

Men’s 5000m, Irish national Senior Championships, Morton Stadium, Santry, 26 June

The Irish Championships always seems to throw up a humdinger of a battle or two, especially in the men’s distance races; lads demonstrating just how special national titles are, and what they’re willing to do to get their hands on one. But few 5000m races have ever been as exciting as the one witnessed in Santry on 26^th June.

Twenty-two of Ireland’s best distance runners. Twelve-and-a-half laps of the track. A startlist that actually resembles the entry list that got us excited during the week.

Darragh McElhinney already has 13.17.17 to his name, and the European Championship qualifying mark. Hiko Tonosa is the national cross country champion, a title he won in a sprint finish over McElhinney in the park next door last November. Efrem Gidey, the 2019 European U20 Cross Country silver medallist is back from injury and reminded us of his potential when he finished 6^th in the 10,000m at the European Cup in May. Paul O’Donnell, too, is an athlete in form.

Away they go.

900m in. Gidey takes the lead. The rest follow.

1200m. Gidey increases the pace. McElhinney and Tonosa lead the chase.

1600m. They main contenders are back together. O’Donnell and Jake O’Regan hanging on.

The pace drops again. Pierre Murchan and Keelan Kilrehill reattach themselves.

Halfway. There’s still a group of seven.

3000m gone. Gidey, forever dictating the pace, starts to pile it on.

1600m to go. It is down to just four.

1200m to go. Gidey, McElhinney, Tonosa are bunched together. O’Donnell, again, hangs on. 

800m to go. Three remain. Gidey is still out front, pretty much where he’s been from the start. But he’s not the one in charge now. He probably never was. McElhinney moves out onto his shoulder. Tonosa is tucked in behind them on the kerb. He has shown nothing yet.

700m to go. McElhinney looks impatient.

600m to go. But still he waits.

Still Tonosa shows nothing.

500m to go. McElhinney comes wide ready to strike. He glances to his inside, checking where Tonosa is. Waiting for his move. Again and again he checks. He waits. If Tonosa wants this now, he’ll have to come the long way round. He’ll have to make the first move. Gidey still has the lead.

300m to go.

McElhinney glances again.

Tonosa doesn’t flinch.

280m to go.

It’s time.

McElhinney makes the first move. A fast, decisive one. Out past Gidey. The others respond. Tonosa, too, goes past the young Clonliffe man, in hot pursuit. McElhinney is away. Tonosa follows.

150m to go.

The gap is 3 metres. Tonosa is fighting, gritting his teeth.

The crowd hold their collective breath.

Memories of national cross.

Is there still time for another twist?

100m to go.

McElhinney glides. Tonosa chases.

50m to go.

It’s all over. McElhinney was ready this time. He is not to be caught.

Another title for the collection.

No 2: Sub-2 by two

Women’s 800m, Belfast Irish Milers Club meet, Mary Peter’s Track, Saturday 15^th May

World class female 800m runners is not something Ireland has traditionally been renowned for. But the new generation are cut a bit differently. 1500m runners stepping down. 400m runners stepping up. Two lap specialists finally fulfilling potential. All with a belief they belong here.

It was the first major domestic race of the season and Eamon Christie had gathered some of the best around, arranged a pacemaker, and given them the stage.

Ciara Mageean, the Irish record holder, had just returned for altitude training in St Moritz. She was going to test where her speed was at prior to a summer of championships. But just what kind of shape was she in?

Louise Shanahan had Olympic experience now at this distance and had gone into last winter knowing that she had to step it up a level if she’s going to be competitive internationally. She’d finish 2nd over 1500m at the British University Championships at the beginning of May, and ran 55.88 for 400m at the Oxford v Cambridge varsity the weekend before. Could she combine that speed and strength over two laps?

We were about to find out.

They set out at a brisk but sensible pace, the field gently strung out. Mageean, keen to keep things moving, pulled up alongside the pacemaker 380m in. Shanahan followed. They hit the bell bang on the minute mark. Four athletes were away around the bottom bend: Mageean, Shanahan, Danish athlete Marissa Damink and Jenna Bromell each a stride or two apart. Mageean pushed on. Shanahan, shadow-like, followed. With 200m to go, she’d entered Mageean’s airspace. 100m to go, she pulled level. Mageean fought back. But Shanahan had another gear. She pulled away.

1:59.42 for Shanahan. Negative splits. A new Irish record.

Mageean hung on for 1:59.86.

We’d waited a lifetime for a sub-2 800m runner. Now we had two in one race.

 

No 1: Morton Mile Classic

Morton Mile, Morton Games, Morton Stadium, Santry, Saturday 2^nd July

The gun went. Australian Callum Davies sat in behind the pacemakers. Andrew Coscoran followed. The rest were strung out behind. There was even a fall. A typical paced circuit affair.

Until it wasn’t.

With 650m to go they all started getting involved. Darragh McElhinney was the first to close up and slot in behind Coscoran. Then went Nick Griggs. Cathal Doyle and Shane Bracken followed. With 400m to go Irish athletes filled 2^nd to 6^th place. With 250m they were all queueing up; getting into the ideal position from which to strike. 

Coscoran, the Olympic semi-finalist, and the fastest on paper. Doyle, who stunned everyone in the 1500m at the National seniors the previous week. McElhinney, a 5km specialist, with a lethal kick. Griggs who ran Coscoran close over the same distance indoors. Bracken, the national 1500m silver medallist; he too with a serious turn of pace.

We knew at this point we were definitely in for a treat, and not of the plain jelly and ice-cream variety. This was an assiette à dessert of Michelin quality.

With 200m to go, they were four abreast behind the Australian, each trying to measure their effort to perfection. None of them ready to show their cards just yet. Corscoran eventually pulled alongside Davies with 150m to go. Doyle made his move around the outside. McElhinney was wedged between them at this point, his normally sublime stride looking strained against the shorter-distance men. But he wasn’t giving this one up without a fight.

They were still four-wide into the home straight.

Then Doyle and Coscoran pulled clear. North Dub versus North Dub. Shoulder to shoulder. Stride for stride. Coscoran, first, looked to have the edge. Then Doyle levelled and inched ahead. The finish line was coming, but not quick enough. Doyle leaned. Coscoran dived. Nobody wanted to call this one.

There was a visible buzz around the track. They lads had put on a great show. The perfect finale to the 2022 Morton Games. Irish athletes would fill the podium. Five had run under 4 minutes. But who’d won? Doyle’s supporters were celebrating. Rushing onto the track to congratulate him. He didn’t look sure. Coscoran too was waiting.

And eventually the result appeared. Coscoran had edged this one; 3:57.09 to Doyle’s 3:57.11.

Coscoran looked full of energy. Buoyed by the win, chatting, reliving the dive.

Doyle looked utterly sickened. The sweet smell of victory now the sour aftertaste of defeat.

Andrew Coscoran, here’s your big fancy trophy. Cathal Doyle, thanks for taking part.

National Seniors Reimagined

Imagine if we could have the major international championships first, and then the national championships!

Imagine the introductions!

Ciara Mageean: Recent Commonwealth and European 1500m silver medallist. 

Mark English: Irish 800m record holder. European 800m bronze. 

Rhasidat Adeleke: Fifth in Europe. Ninth in the world. The one who, draped in an Irish flag, made a point of acknowledging the Irish supporters in the crowd after she broke the Irish 400m record in Munich. 

Israel Olatunde: the fastest ever Irishman. European 100m finalist at twenty.

Sarah Lavin: World Indoor and European outdoor finalist. 

Fionnuala McCormack: Ireland's most capped female. Seventh in Munich. Understated. Underrated. Underappreciated.

Efrem Gidey and Brian Fay: European top eight finishers. 

Louise Shanahan: European 800m finalist. Irish record holder.

Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Sharlene Mawdsley, Roisin Harrison and Cliodhna Manning: European relay finalists along with Adeleke. Six of the 10 fastest 400m runners we've ever produced. Healy, Becker, Chris O'Donnell and Jack Raftery: World mixed relay finalists. Olympic mixed relay finalists in there too.

Andrew Coscoran. European 1500m finalist. World and Olympic semi-finalist. Morton Mile winner.

Kate O'Connor: Commonwealth silver medallist in the heptathlon.

Reece Adamola, Nicola Tuthill, Nicholas Griggs: World U20 finalists.

Darragh McElhinney and Sarah Healy: Irish U23 records each at three different distances outdoors in 2022.

Luke McCann: Irish senior 1000m records, indoors and out, in 2022.

Thomas Barr: 10-time Irish 400m hurdles champion. And the rest.

Michelle Finn, 8-time Irish steeplechase champion. European finalist.

The list goes on.

Imagine how easy that would be to promote. 

Morton Stadium would be packed!

For reasons I don't need to go into here, you could never hold your national champs after the majors, but there's got to be a way to capitalise on the enthusiasm created by such a successful Irish team. And it only needs to be done once. If Morton Stadium on nationals weekend is the place to be, then Morton Stadium on nationals weekend is where we'll be.

Morton Stadium on nationals weekend definitely did not appear to be the place to be in June 2022.

I arrived to a near empty stadium, coinciding with a seemingly intended and prolonged gap in the track programme on the Sunday afternoon. After two years missed due to the pandemic, I could hardly have felt more let down. Yes the pace eventually picked up. Great races were had. And apparently the evening finals slot came across well on tv. 

But it did not have me reaching for my diary and marking the date for next year's event (ok, that's not true; the likely date was already in my diary, but imagine for a moment that I'm not me!).

The event needed a good boost of energy from somewhere.

And the schedule? With 150 years of practice, you'd think someone would at least have nailed the schedule by now!

Something clearly has to change.

I appreciate how much effort goes into running not just the national seniors, but the whole series of national championships held weekend after weekend right across the summer, and how much hard work is done by unpaid officials and committee members. And there are costs to running such events which clearly are not being met by the dismal attendance figures. And I am hesitant to criticise those who are doing things that I am not willing to do myself. But I'm also too passionate about this to say nothing at all. As a reasonable compromise, I'm going to focus mainly on some possible solutions.

Santry needs people on the back straight. Without people on the back straight it's always going to look and feel empty. Good weather helps. But people on the back straight also need to be able to see the results and hear the commentary. Give them a reason to get out of the stand and surround that track.

Many of the people who could/might attend have or are children: recently retired and former athletes, young athletes, children who've watched the Olympics or Europeans on telly and have been nagging their parents to see some of these stars up close, the children of immigrants who would benefit from seeing positive integration into the Irish community... the list goes on. So attendance needs to be child friendly - either a Sunday finals slot which isn't after their bedtime, or a Saturday slot which somehow caters for the attention span of the average nine-year-old (or more importantly their parent).

And we need it to be a place for those who used to run to meet up with old acquaintances. To re-connect with the sport. To see the possibilities of where and how they could continue to be involved. Or, for once, to just enjoy the sport from the other side of the fence.

So, how about this?

Saturday afternoon - heats for pretty much anything that their needs to be heats for. Use pre-registration to ensure these run off as slickly as possible - you should know on Friday just how many heats you'll have in each event. Have commentators loaded to the gills with interesting facts and information about every single athlete competing. And really think about how you can best showcase your field events during this time. 

Have the final of whichever sprints need to be had on day one.

Then put barriers in lane three. Bring the crowds in around the track (nothing new or novel at this stage - and we know it works). And run off all the distance races one after another. The various races of the men's 5000m. The women's 5000m. The walks. The steeplechases. A junior race or two. Fill that back straight with cheer. The place could be hopping.

See, that would get me to Dublin on the Saturday. I might even stretch to a hotel room for the night, even at Dublin prices! Livestreaming viewing should also be through the roof, as those with a distance-running interest tune in not just from across Ireland, but across the world. Put your best commentators on commentary and reel in the punters. There may even be the potential for this to be shown live on tv. Imagine it was good enough to get people to say, 'Wait, I could attend more of this tomorrow, in person? Pass me the credit card now.' 

We could even cleverly showcase certain field events during this time, the men's and women's shot put for example. Use the crowd to give them a boost too.

We could do this better than any other national championship in the world!

The Sunday probably doesn't need to change that drastically. You'd be missing a few events - a steeplechase, the walks and some 5000m races. But there's no reason a condensed programme, without the silly gap in the middle, wouldn't work. Three rounds of the 100m might be an issue, but we'll work on that one too. 

Again, clever showcasing of field events would help. But people need to be able to follow what's going on with those. A big screen with live results would be the dream, but there's no reason someone with a giant whiteboard, some marker pens, and a little bit of humour couldn't work wonders on that front. 

Have people greeting those arriving who've never been to an athletics event before, and ensuring they have the best possible experience. Put together idiots guides. Tell them what they should look out for. Take them to the heart of the action. God, imagine if we could get athletes to do this. It would be a great use of any top athlete not able to race that weekend. 

Ok, maybe now I'm getting a little bit carried away.

And we need to decide if filling the stadium with children, or having the live tv slot well past their bedtime, is more important. But we need that stadium full. It doesn't matter if they're paying or not. Just get them there. And we only need to do it once. If it's a positive experience for all those who attend, then the next time it's will fill up itself.

Imagine the potential!

Unfortunately we can't have nationals after majors. But we could still have the best nationals in the world! After 150 years of trying, it's about time we did just that.

Doping: Ireland excelling at both hypocrisy and apathy

The date: 1st March 2008.

The venue: Queen’s University Playing Fields in Belfast.

The mood: sombre, yet defiant.

A portion of the sizable crowd that have gathered to watch the final stages of Senior Men’s race at the Irish inter-club Cross Country Championships boo as Leevale’s Cathal Lombard wins the title ahead of South-African born Alistair Cragg. The remainder watch quietly in disappointment.

Lombard is making his first appearance at a national level following a two-year doping ban for EPO use. The message the Belfast crowd deliver is loud and clear: Lombard is not welcome. He may have served his time in the eyes of anti-doping bodies, but not in the eyes of Irish athletics fans. They are a much tougher crowd to win around.

Lombard announced his retirement from athletics that afternoon. We’ll never really know if that was always his intention, or if the cold reception he received in Belfast (and at lower key races over the previous months) expediated his decision to walk away. Either way, he never ran competitively again. And few were disappointed to see the back of him.

***

Fast forward to November 2009 and news has just broken in Ireland that Spanish racewalker Francisco (Paquillo) Fernandez has committed an anti-doping rule violation. Over the coming months various versions of the story emerge. By the time the case is heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport the fact that the Olympic and three-time world silver medallist was found in possession of multiple doping products, including EPO, previously purchased with intent to use, was no longer contested. Ban dates are the only thing debated in a case which we were originally led to believe was a set-up.

As the original news emerged in Ireland, national governing body officials were quick to distance themselves from the then shamed Spaniard, despite his close ties with Rob Heffernan and Olive Loughnane. Perhaps fearful of a backlash from the fans who were so vocally unforgiving in Lombard’s case, Patsy McGonagle, the then Athletics Ireland High Performance Committee Chairman, tried to reassure the Irish public whose taxes help fund high performance athletes, by stating that Heffernan and Loughnane were both largely based in Ireland and only had occasional contact with Fernandez. He added that "in the circumstances we must reassess that arrangement and we will definitely be making alternative technical coaching arrangements for our athletes".

Whatever those “alternative technical coaching arrangements” were, they never seemed to hinder Heffernan’s continued contact with the Spaniard, despite much denial along the way.

McGonagle, the Irish Olympic team manager, was again quoted in national newspapers in July 2012, playing down the link, following reports the continued association between Heffernan and the then-banned Spaniard when the Irish team had a training camp in Fernandez’s home town of Guadix. “There is no question and there never has been of Fernandez coaching Robert Heffernan - or any of the Irish walkers”, McGonagle states.

The same article also contains strong words from Liam O’Reilly, an Irish Olympic team coach and the camp leader during that Guadix trip. “I think what appeared was a terrible reflection on journalistic standards. All the positive effort and hard work has been ignored simply because he [Heffernan] knows somebody who has done something wrong…Then somebody comes along and tries to insinuate or imply that he is doing something wrong. I think that is unacceptable.”

Heffernan himself initially played down the link, despite much evidence to the contrary. As time passed, however, and perhaps sensing the changing mood of Irish athletics fans – a World title and an Olympic medal can work wonders – Heffernan and his cronies became less concerned about how the links were perceived, with regular social media posts of them training together. Fernandez, it appears, had fully morphed into Heffernan’s coach, even if his wife Marian was still being used as a cover – Athletics Ireland, perhaps, wouldn’t tolerate the name of a drug cheat next to one of their athletes.

Fellow Irish racewalkers Alex Wright, Brendan Boyce and Cian McManamon were also benefiting from the training opportunities that Fernandez was providing in Spain, and elsewhere, with Heffernan being credited as their coach.

And then, once it became clear that, bar a handful of voices, the Irish population no longer had the zero-tolerance to doping cheats they once had, the stage was set for Fernandez to finally receive the credit he deserved. In early August 2017 the Athletics Ireland website listed Pacquillo Fernandez as Wright’s coach on the team announcement for the World Championships in London later that month.

“Alternative technical coaching arrangements”, it seems, had little to do with protecting the integrity of the sport and everything to do with fobbing off the journalists and saying the right things to protect reputations until the whole issue blew over.

View this post on Instagram

Preparando la temporada... #ríodejaneiro2016 #Cork #Training

A post shared by Paquillo Frdez/Ex-atleta®️ (@paquillofernandez) on Nov 28, 2015 at 11:26am PST

And blow over it certainly appears to have done.

***

And in some ways, all of this is understandable. Heffernan and Fernandez were friends. Maybe Fernandez would never have used those products – he just fancied keeping them around, just in case he changed his mind again. And yes, he’s served his time. Maybe a two-year ban changes people. And maybe the reputations of Heffernan, Wright, et al., should not be tainted by who they choose to hang around with. I get all that. I even get that Fernandez may be a (mostly) good and nice guy.

And maybe, he is the best coach around.

I get all that. Even if I don't like it.

View this post on Instagram

The Best team! #Dudincetraining

A post shared by Paquillo Frdez/Ex-atleta®️ (@paquillofernandez) on Mar 21, 2016 at 9:56am PDT

What I don’t get is why we have to involve the children. And why Fernandez has to be turned into some sort of icon.

***

Just two weeks ago, Ray Flynn, who in 2016 stood for election as president of Athletics Ireland (a landslide defeat, incidentally), tweeted a photo of his group of young athletes from the ‘Sligo Academy of Racewalkers’ training with “the best coaches in Spain”; a photo in which Fernandez was, of course, front and centre.

Our group from Sligo Academy of Race Walkers training with the best coaches in Spain @PaquilloFrdez @SligoRunners @gaynorroddy pic.twitter.com/C5XGAywihh

— Raymond Flynn (@RAYMONDFLYNN1) October 31, 2018

To adapt an analogy Heffernan himself put forward: "You go to a nightclub in town, there’s going to be fellas in the cubicle next to you taking cocaine, but it doesn’t mean you do". But you wouldn’t parade your children (or worse still, someone else’s children) into that cubicle for selfies, and pin those fellas up as some sort of role models who your children should be privileged to meet.

***

Just over a decade on from that spring afternoon in Belfast, much has changed, it appears, in terms of attitudes to dopers in Ireland.

The Irish crowd have gone soft.

Maybe Lombard should have stuck around a little longer.

Maybe he should have offered to help coach some kids!

Yes, that might have changed the Irish public’s attitude towards him.

Eight Irish female athletes to follow this summer

With the cross country season long forgotten and track season already stuttering into life, it’s high time to highlight some of the Irish females to look out for this summer.

Another difficult summer lies ahead for the Irish athletes and medals on the world stage are more of a hope than an expectation. There is some degree of transition after last year’s Olympics, a disappointing indoor season will have dampened spirits, and, as ever, the injury list is far longer than anyone would like.  Having said that, some athletes are definitely in a position to build on a successful 2016, and the current crop of juniors is as exciting as ever, if not more so. There may even be a slight glimmer of hope in some of the field events!

In addition to the World Championships in London and the European Team Championships in Finland, the younger athletes will be aiming for European Youth Olympic Festival, European Junior Championships, European U23 Championships and World University Games qualification.
Here are just some of the names I’m looking forward to following in the coming months.

Fionnuala McCormack: The queen of cross

It’s on the grass that Fionnuala McCormack, the undisputed queen of Irish Cross Country, is at her most comfortable, and while she has represented Ireland in four different disciplines over three Olympic Games, her summer performances haven’t yet lived up to her winter promise. Fionnuala remains in that uncomfortable position between a competitive force - if not quite a world beater - on the track, and an emerging marathon runner oozing with potential. Despite her notable endurance background, she is remarkably under-raced on the roads and time-wise she hasn’t quite set the tar-mac alight with her rare efforts over the half and full marathon distances to date. What the Wicklow woman lacks in recordings against the clock, however, she more than makes up for with her championship record, and the fact that her best marathon so far came in the heat of Rio, suggests that fast personal bests are not everything.

But they do stand for something, and with that in mind, McCormack’s plan is to aim for the 10,000m qualifying time for London, and have a serious crack at a big city marathon in the Autumn. She, like those of us following her progress, know that faster times lie ahead.

Fionnuala’s 10,000m PB is 31:29.22 from 2012; her best last season was 31:30.74. She needs a time of 32:15.00 for London.  However, with four athletes breaking the 30 minute barrier in Rio, much faster will be required from the Wicklow woman if she hopes to feature come August. Her marathon PB of 2:31:22 has already earner her selection for London should she decide to contest the longer distance in the British capital.

Ciara Mageean: Carrying the weight of expectation

You always get the sense that the weight of public expectation rests lightly on Ciara Mageean’s shoulders and that her precocious talent is more of a motivation than a burden. Just as well since, as our one genuine potential female medallist on the world stage, she regularly carries the hopes of a nation.

On paper, the Irish team travelled to Amsterdam for the European Track Championships last summer with zero chances of a medal. They left the Netherlands with silverware thanks to Mageean’s brilliance and grit. In hindsight, the bronze medal that she won in the 1500m was a disappointing result – a measure of her ability rather than a criticism of her effort. Reaching the semi-final of the Olympics was a further step to fulfilling her potential, but it was the world class time of 4:01.46 which she achieved in Paris at the end of last season that confirmed Mageean’s global medal potential.

The past indoor season didn’t go according to plan, and while images of Ciara hobbling off the track injured in Belgrade brought back memories of the Portaferry woman’s darkest days, it seems that her failure to finish at the European Indoor Championships was but a minor blip on the bumpy road to the top.

The World Championship qualification time in the metric mile is 4:07.50, something which should be but a formality for Ciara. Anything less than a place in the final will be a disappointment – both for Ciara and for those across Ireland willing her on. And once she’s in the final…

Christine McMahon: One lap wonder

Another to excel in Amsterdam last July was Christine McMahon who reached the semi-final of the 400m hurdles. The Ballymena and Antrim athlete chipped away at her personal best throughout a summer which also saw her graduate from Dentistry at Queen’s University Belfast, and she eventually got inside the Olympic qualifying time on 16th July, two days after the date by which performances needed to be recorded.

Unfortunately for McMahon, unlike Olympic qualification periods which cover two track seasons, times from last year won’t count towards London selection, and she must do it all again this year if she is to take her place on the startline in London. Fingers crossed the stars line up for her a little earlier this summer.

The qualifying time for London is 56.10. Christine’s best is 56:07. She is also eligible for the World University Championships where a time in the low 56’s would put her in contention for the medals.

Sarah Buggy: One step at a time

St Abban’s athlete Sarah Buggy hopped, stepped and jumped her way to number two on the Irish all-time list for the triple jump last summer, and the 23 year old’s best of 13.25 metres is within striking distance of Taneisha Scanlon’s Irish record (13.62). Sarah picked up where she left off in 2016 with a stellar indoor campaign. She again leaped to number two on the domestic indoor list, and got within 10 cm of Scanlon’s Irish indoor record.

Buggy is still some way off the standard required to compete on the world’s biggest stage, and the qualification standard for London, at 14.10 metres, may well be a stretch too far at this stage. But other international competition opportunities are well within her reach. The standard for August’s World University Games is 13.35. And there are those two Irish records to target in the near future.

The problem with talented field eventers in Ireland is not that they don’t exist, but that they exist in isolation. Buggy is a metre and a half ahead of everyone else at the moment. Wouldn’t now be a nice time to see the return of the long-injured Caoimhe King who has a best of 12.96m from 2014?

Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner: Barriers to be broken

Each year the hopes of an Irish woman finally breaking the two-minute barrier for the 800m are pinned on a different athlete. Rose-Anne Galligan, Laura Crowe, Ciara Everard and Ciara Mageean have all been pretenders to the throne, and while all these will be looking to continue the quest, Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner more than has her name pencilled in as Ireland’s next sub-2 challenger. The Villanova student has a current PB of 2:01.98 and improved her indoor best to 2:02.97 earlier this year. It would be nice, too, to see what the Dublin native can run for 1500m. Her best of 4:22.37 dates back to May 2013 and is surly due a major revision.

The all-important qualification times required for this summer’s championships are 2:01.00 for World Championships in London; 2:04.80 for European U23s and 2:04.30 for World University Games.

Shona Heaslip: Dancing her way into contension

Former Irish dancing champion Shona Heaslip must surely be the most exciting prospect on the domestic distance running scene. She recently glided her way to the Irish University 5000m title, and knocked a whopping 29 seconds from her personal best in the process. Given her relative youth in the sport, the big PB is not a surprise, but the ease and manner of her victory were particularly noteworthy. With the World University Games qualification already in the bag, the Kerry woman will look to get into some fast races in the coming months. Once she gets under the 16 minute mark - which must surely be but a formality - Shona can start to concentrate on adding senior track representation to her cross country cap from December.

The qualifying time for London - at 15:22.00 - is still some way off, and chasing it down is unlikely to be Heaslip’s priority this year, but by 2018 the 15:30 or thereabouts that’ll be required to make the European Championships should be well within her reach. Like all distance runners, remaining injury free will be her main challenge.

Phil Healey: From the depths of hell

The epic finale to the women’s 4 x 400m relay at last summer’s IUAA Intervarsity Championships catapulted Phil Healey into the public consciousness. Only her second ever run over 400m, the UCC graduate’s heroics not only earner her recognition thanks to that now legendary footage, but accelerated her transition to the longer sprint. Given her undoubted speed and the fact that her opening foray over 400m places her just outside the Irish all-time top 10, Healey could well be a future international star in the one-lap event.

Fully expect Healey to smash the 53.49 personal best she set indoors in February when the outdoor season gets into full swing. The target for World University Games is 53.30, though she already has the 23.70 qualifying time for the 200m in Taipei. The London qualifying times of 52.10 and 23.10 will be on her radar, but probably just out of reach.

Michaela Walsh: Throwing down the gauntlet

Michaela Walsh, a 2016 World Junior shot put finalist and a hammer finalist from the 2015 World Youth Championships, is Ireland’s most promising thrower since Elaine O’Keeffe. Walsh’s National Junior Record of 59.64 – set in March this year – may well be distant history by the time the 18 year old fully graduates to the senior ranks, and the Swinford AC athlete will surely have O’Keeffe’s impressive senior hammer record (73.21 metres) in her mind as she continues to rise through the ranks.

The European Junior Championships A qualifying standards are 60.00 metres for the hammer and 15.30 metres for the shot put, though Michaela already has the two required B standards in the latter event and a B standard in the hammer.

And then…

Elsewhere, I’m hoping that the rivalry between our three Olympic steeplechasers – injuries permitting – can put Roisin McGettigan’s nine-year-old Irish record under threat; I’m looking forward to seeing what the ever-improving Emma Mitchell can achieve as she aims for Commonwealth Games qualification; I’m excited about the prospects of the young sprinting trio of Ciara Neville, Gina Akpe-Moses and Sharlene Mawdsley, and I’m curious as to how Sommer Lecky – the future of Irish high jumping - and Elizabeth Morland – emerging multi-event starlet - can progress.

All in all, there’s lots of reason for hope. But imagine the sense of optimism there would be if Mary Cullen, Sarah Lavin, Ciara Everard, Jessie Barr, Laura Crowe, Rose-Anne Galligan, Claire Tarplee – to name just a few – had an injury-free season, and if more of our talented juniors stayed in the sport long enough to fulfil their senior potential.

As always, predictions like this can be woefully off the mark. The most memorable performances of the summer will, no doubt, be the ones that nobody could have seen coming.

And hopefully those omitted will be even more inspired to make their mark!


For those interested, the full selection criteria for this summer's championships can be found on the High Performance section of the Athletics Ireland website.