Callum Morgan

The 154th edition of the world's longest-running national championships will take place at Morton Stadium in Santry over the weekend. It will be followed by the Commonweatlh Games athletics programme, which gets underway in Glasgow on Monday and run until Sunday 1 August.

The World U20 Championships, to which a strong Irish team will be travelling, will take place in Eugene, Oregon from 5th to 9th August, and the European Championships, the main event of the year for senior athletes, will start the following day in Birmingham, and conclude on Sunday 16 August.

A few days later, the first of the four remaining Diamond League fixtures takes place in Lausanne, with the Diamond League final set for Brussels on 4 and 5 September. The inaugural World Ultimate Championships will be held in Budapest from 11-13 September, with the World Road Running Championships to be held in Copenhagen the following weekend.

This is what they call the business end of the season.

National Seniors

The Irish National Senior Championships is the highlight of the domestic calendar, and has become a major event for spectators in recent years. Big crowds are expected across both days of action this year.

Among the stars expected to compete are Sharlene Mawdsley, Mark English, Cian McPhillips, Sarah Healy, Sophie O’Sullivan, Nicola Tuthill, Eric Favors, Andrew Coscoran, Brian Fay, Darragh McElhinney, Bori Akinola, Rhasidat Adeleke, Lauren Roy, Sean Aigboboh, Cathal Doyle, Nick Griggs, Sophie Becker, Jack Raftery and many, many more.

Some of the athletes selected for the upcoming World U20 Championships are also entered, and many athletes will be hopeful of winning their first national senior title. An action-packed weekend is guaranteed.

Spectator tickets are still available, and those who can’t make it to Dublin can enjoy the action on the Athletics Ireland YouTube channel, with two hours of finals also being broadcast live on RTÉ on Sunday evening from 6-8pm.

Action gets underway at 12 noon on Saturday, with Sunday's programme starting at 2pm.

Fantasy National Seniors

Entries for the 2026 Fantasy National Seniors prediction competition will close at 10am on Saturday morning. You can enter here or via the link on our homepage. To take part, you just need to predict the medallists from any 10 events, choose a bonus athlete, complete the tiebreaker question and hit enter. We’ll update scoring on Saturday evening, and announce the winners on Monday morning. There are no prizes.

Road to Birmingham

This weekend offers athletes a final chance to hit standards and improve rankings before the European Championship qualification window closes at midnight on Sunday. As things currently stand, Ireland look set to send a large team to Birmingham, with the opportunity for a small number to add their names for consideration when rankings are finalised next week.

You’ll find the current status of all Irish contenders on our European Championship page.

Commonwealth Games

The post-championship blue will be short-lived this year, with the Commonwealth Games athletics action starting on Monday. Heptathletes Kate O’Connor and Anna McCauley will get their campaign underway at 9:10am on Tuesday morning.

Other Irish athletes representing Northern Ireland at the Games are Nick Griggs, James Gormley and Callum Morgan. You'll find a timetable of events, with details of when the Irish athletes are competing, on our championship page.

TNT Sports will broadcast the live action from the Games (also available on HBO Max, their streaming partner; subscription required) with extended highlights each day on Channel 5.

With just ten days – at the time of writing – left in the European Championships qualification window, and just over three weeks until the Championships themselves kick off, there’s a sense of urgency, and importance, surrounding this weekend’s events.

Some athletes will be making a last-ditch attempt to qualify – standards and ranking points foremost in their minds -  while medal hopefuls and potential finalists will be looking to build form ahead. The sprint relay squads, both of whom have two runouts in the coming days may even have national records on their minds.

The London Diamond League is the main event, but a pair of Continental Tour meetings on Thursday evening provide important opportunities for Irish athletes. Younger athletes will be competing at the European U18 Championships in Reiti, while domestic action includes the National 10 Mile and the AAI Games.

Teamwork Thursday

Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern, a Continental Tour Silver meeting, has a very large Irish contingent, with a mix of hopes and dreams for the evening.

Among them are both men’s and women’s 4x100m relays teams, who will face stiff opposition ahead of next month’s European Championships. The men’s team – named on the startlist as Max O'Reilly, Sean Aigboboh, Mark Smyth and Bori Akinola – currently sit in 9th on the Road to Birmingham, and with 16 teams to qualify, are all but ensured their spot in Birmingham.

The women’s team is less secure in terms of Birmingham qualification. They are currently sitting in 15th place, and will be hoping that Slovenia and Sweden don’t both pull out massive performances. The team of Lucy-May Sleeman, Lauren Roy, Sarah Leahy and Precious Akpe-Moses may have their own time-targets in mind: the 43.73 national record set last year well within their grasp.

All but Aigboboh, who has already secured the Birmingham auto Q in the 200m, will also be in action in individual events. Akinola, who has twice run 10.19 this season, looks to be secure within the 100m quota, but will want to run faster again ahead of championship season. Roy, too, has the 200m standard, and is ranked 35th in the 100m, with 36 spots available.

Sleeman, who has been in flying form in the US this summer, desperately needs to bag some of the placing points on offer here and put in a good performance at next week’s national championships, if she is to have any chance of catapulting herself into a quota spot.

None of the other relay athletes have the athletics Ireland B standard or are close enough to quota for an individual spot to be a realistic target at this point. However, there are two other sprinters to watch out for.

Rhasidat Adeleke has yet to secure an individual spot for Birmingham. She just missed the 200m Auto Q (22.85) when she ran 22.86 in Texas in April. She’ll race that distance in Luzern, before – it is rumoured – she races over 400m at the weekend.

Benjamin Richardson, the former South African representative who will be eligible to compete for Ireland from August 2027, will compete in both the 100m and 200m.

Elizabeth Ndudi and Lauren Callaghan both have a chance to make the Long Jump cutoff for Birmingham. Callaghan is just outside the quota spots and still needs to surpass the Athletics Ireland B standard of 6.55, a mark she just missed by 4cm last week.

Ndudi hit the B standard when she broke the national indoor record earlier in the year but, like Sleeman, is desperately short on ranking points. A podium finish here would do her qualification quest the world of good.

Emma Moore is currently just one spot outside quota for the 800m, and has the opportunity to leap up the rankings with a good run here. She will be joined by Alex O’Neill, who is outside the quota spots, but has the opportunity to considerably improve her ranking over the next 10 days. She does, however, also need to hit the 2:00.95 Athletics Ireland B standard.

Callum Morgan will get a run out over 3000m ahead of the Commonwealth Games where he will run the 5000m. Conor Cusack has a breakthrough performance at this event in 2025 when he threw beyond 75 metres for the first time. The Athletics Ireland B standard for Birmingham is 79.00.

And it isn’t all about the action in Switzerland on Thursday. Sharlene Mawdsley will be racing the 400m at Meeting Madrid, also a Continental Tour Silver meeting, as she endeavours to break 50 seconds for the first time. A podium finish here would boost her chances of making the World Ultimate Championships in September.

Cillian Kirwan and Hannah Segrave are both due to compete at Meeting Arcobaleno EAP AtleticaEuropa, a Continental Tour Challenger, in Italy. Kirwan has the Athletics Ireland B standard, but is still some way off the quota spots.

The European Under 18 Championships got underway in Rieti on Thursday morning and will continue through until Sunday evening. Irish athletes will be hopeful of medals across the four days of competition.

Friday night lights

All eyes will be on Bishopstown on Friday for the MTU Track Night. Notable names among the sizeable entry include Colin Doyle, Mollie O’Reilly (100m) and David Cussen (High Jump). Entries for this event remain open until 7pm on Thursday.

Slamdunk Saturday

Hundreds of Irish fans will head to London on Saturday for the 11th Diamond League meeting of the season, and they’ll have plenty of Irish athletes to cheer.

An incredibly competitive men’s 800m will include both Cian McPhillips and Mark English, while Sarah Healy will compete over the 3000m. Orla Comerford (ambulant 100m), Brandon Ballard (ambulant 1500m) and the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams will all take part in the pre-meeting programme.

English won the opening Diamond League race of the season, and has raced extensively since, with mixed results. McPhillips, on the other hand, has had a quiet year, his indoor season curtailed due to dental issues. His last outing, at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Budapest on Tuesday, was less than impressive, so he’ll be looking for a quick return to form.

Likewise, Healy missed the indoor season, and while her opening runs over 5000m, 1500m and the mile haven’t been disastrous by any means, she’ll be looking for that extra spark over yet another distance at which she is second on the Irish all-time list.

Comerford has been in unbeatable form all season, and broke the European T13 record at the Morton Games last week. She’ll be looking to continue that form in the British capital. Twenty-three-year-old Ballard transferred allegiance from Great Britain to Ireland in August last year.

The main programme events will be shown on Virgin Media Two from 2-4pm. There will be extended coverage on Virgin Media Play to include the relay races, but not the para races.

The KBC Nacht (Night of Athletics) in Heusden-Zolder is another important competition for those seeking last-minute European Championship qualification, though it’s likely that the entries include a number of athletes who will not compete should other competitions go their way on Thursday.

Adeleke will race over 400m, in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for Birmingham. The automatic qualification standard of 51.20 should be well within her grasp, and will be the minimum target for the Tallaght AC star.

800m runners Kirwan, Moore and O’Neill all have at least a shot at making the team for Birmingham and will also race on Thursday (see above). Eimear Maher has the B standard for Birmingham in the 1500m but is outside the quota sports, ranked just behind Laura Nicholson who still needs the 4:07.00 standard. Maddie Mooney and Zoe Toland, both setting personal bests over multiple distances in the past week, are also entered in the 1500m.

Other names on the entries include Joe Doody (400m), who’ll be looking to make the relay team in Birmingham, and Cormac Dalton (5000m). The complete startlists for the main programme events have not yet been confirmed, so other Irish athletes may also be competing.

Rory Devaney, a recent transferee from the United States, will compete in the Lappeenrante Games in Finland. Devaney is the top Irish hammer thrower this year, and has a personal best of 74.16m.

The National multi-events Championships get underway in Santry on Saturday. Laura Frawley, a two-time national heptathlon champion, will start as favourite for the senior women’s title, while Lexx McConville is the only athlete entered in the senior men’s event. National U20, Masters and juvenile titles will also be decided across the two days of competition.

Sunday Showdown

The AAI Games, which will take place in Morton Stadium in Santry, has one of its strongest entry lists in recent time. Many, however, may be entered in case other results don’t go their way this weekend, or if their flights or meetings abroad are cancelled.

If, however, everyone does show, exciting races are guaranteed over a number of distances, most notably the 400m hurdles, where in-form brothers Ethan Dewhirst and Fintan Dewhirst are both entered. There is very little to separate the Donegal pair on paper, but this is the first (and probably last) time they would go head-to-head this season.

The men’s 400m has Jack Raftery and Cillin Greene among the entries, along with Ciarán Carthy, while Sophie Becker is the standout entry in the women’s 400m. Marcus Lawlor (200m), Adam Nolan (110m Hurdles) and Victoria Amiadamen (400m Hurdles) are among the other leading names in the sprints and hurdles events.

Field event entries include Sophie Meredith (Long Jump), Saragh Buggy (Triple Jump), Michaela Walsh (Shot Put), Eoin Sheridan, Anna Gavigan (Discus), Margaret Hayden (Hammer), Cusack and Kate Joyce (Javelin), all title contenders at next weekend’s national Senior Championships.

Among the leading entries in the middle distance events are Moore (800m), who is also on startlists on Thursday and Saturday, and Liam Lyons (800m), who ran sub-four miles in Cork and Morton last week.

The National Senior and Master 10 Mile champions will be decided in the Phoenix Part on Sunday morning. Jake O’Regan and Heather Murphy are among the leading entries. See the Athletics Ireland website for a more detailed preview.

Molly Scott (100m) and Adam Murphy (200m) are the leading Irish entries for the BFTTA Outdoor Series 4 meeting in north London. Day two of the National multi-events will be held alongside the AAI Games, while the European U18 Championships will conclude in Rieti.

After an exciting evening in Bishopstown mid-week, the continental tour rolls into Santry on Friday, where the Morton Games will kick-start another exciting weekend of athletics.

Abroad, middle distance athletes will be racing at the Watford BMC, many of the sprinters and hurdlers are heading to the Stratford Speed meeting in London, while a mix of sprinters and jumpers will be chasing personal bests in Kortrijk, Belgium. Athletes will also be competing in Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Germany and the United States.

Junior athletes have until Sunday night to achieve standards for the World U20 Championships, while this weekend marks the two-weeks-to-go point on the Road to Birmingham. By the end of the weekend, there will be just 4 weeks to go until the biggest event of the year.

Morton Games

The second of Ireland’s two Continental Tour Bronze meetings, the Morton Games, will feature many of the athletes we saw in Cork on Wednesday, including a similarly world-class women’s hammer field, some additional overseas star quality and a few Irish athletes we’ve not seen a huge amount of this season.

Fans will have a sneak preview of some of the national title battles that will be fought out on this track in two weeks’ time, as well as witness some evolving twists and turns on the road to Birmingham.

For a detailed breakdown of the international and domestic athletes to look out for, check out the news features on the Morton Games website. Here we’ll take a look at a few interesting events from an Irish perspective.

Women's 1500m

The unfolding storyline of the women’s 1500m - and the cacophony of potential outcomes in terms of Birmingham qualification - is particularly intriguing. Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan boxed off the automatic qualification standard at the World Championship last September, and are highly likely to be on the European Championships team.

While Ciara Mageean almost certainly won’t use her wildcard spot as defending champion, Irish athletes have known that there was another spot up for grabs, irrespective of Mageean’s availability, and three athletes in particular have been invested in chasing that final spot.

Both Eimear Maher and Jodie McCann achieved the Athletics Ireland B standard in the past week. Laura Nicholson, however, is the only one of the three currently within quota on ranking points. Both criteria need to be met to make the team.

Nicholson will be hoping to better the 4:07.00 mark on Friday, and both her and Maher will be looking to increase their ranking points in Santry. McCann, whose points from Wednesday won't be added until next week, is racing in Portugal on Saturday (see below).

A fast race at Nationals has the potential to elevate all three within quota come close of qualification, but the side quest of securing a national title is more likely to lead to a cagey contest. And the dream outcome for any of the contenders would be hitting the 4:03.50 automatic standard in the coming weeks.

Men's 5000m

Darragh McElhinney, Nick Griggs (both with the automatic standard) and Brian Fay (currently sitting in a quota spot) are likely to make the 5000m in Birmingham, and they will be among those racing that distance on Friday. Griggs wasn’t far off Fay’s National record of 13:01.40 last summer, and in the right conditions on the right day, all three have the potential to break 13 minutes.

Also racing over 12.5 laps are Jack O’Leary, who has the 10,000m standard for Birmingham, Cormac Dalton who ran a solid 3000m in Cork on Wednesday on return from injury, Callum Morgan, who’ll be racing this distance at the Commonwealth Games at the end of the month, and Shay McEvoy, who actually has the Athletics Ireland B standard for the 10,000m, but is too far down the rankings for that to be a realistic dream.

The national title decided at this distance last year was one for the ages. A slightly different cast, at the same venue, could well lead to similar showstopping performances. And that’s before we consider the more-than-cameo appearances of the overseas actors. While nobody knows what drama might unfold, this likely to be one not to miss.

Men's 400m

With the mixed 4x400m team now unlikely to qualify to defend their title in Birmingham, male 400m athletes will be hoping that they hold on to their top-16 position in the men’s 4x400m relay, for most, their only likely route to the European Championships.

Three of the athletes who would be hoping to make the cut for any team selected are racing on Friday, and will be looking to impress in the one-lap event. Jack Raftery, who has the Athletics Ireland B standard and is currently just outside quota, does still have a shot at making the individual event. This will be his first race since mid-May.

Sean Doggett has run personal bests both indoors and outdoors this year, and won the Irish U23 200m title on Sunday. He’ll be hoping to continue his progress on Friday as he looks to make his second European Championship team, following his debut in Rome as a 17-year-old.

Andrew Egan ran 45.86 last season, and is slowly building towards that level this season. Could he spring an upset on the reigning national and national indoor champions, and which, of any of them, will be the first Irish athlete to run sub 46 this season.

Other events

Bori Akinola and Sean Aigboboh will go head-to-head again over 100m, Nicola Tuthill will have another shot at upsetting the Olympic and World Champion and breaking the 19-year-old national hammer record, and Alex O’Neill will have another shot at the Athletics Ireland B standard she missed by 0.01 seconds last week.

There were no Irish winners in the international events in Cork. The Morton crowd will be hoping for a few podium-topping performances, not least in the men's mile which will close the programme. Cathal Doyle will be looking for his second Morton Mile title, and the fourth Irish win in five years. Hitting the 1500m point in 3:33.50 or faster – the automatic standard for Birmingham – would be the cherry on top.

Other Continental Tour meetings

Colin Doyle (100m), Paul Costelloe (100m, 200m) and Rhianna McCarthy (100m, 200m) are entered for the Fast Arms, Fast Legs Continental Tour Challenger meeting in Wetzlar, Germany on Friday.

A healthy consignment of middle distance runners are heading to Watford for the British Milers Club (BMC) Grand Prix, a Continental Tour Challenger meeting, on Saturday. Among them are Finley Daly (3000m steeplechase) who is chasing the Athletics Ireland B standard for Birmingham; and Neasa Ni Ainifein, Niamh Carr, Zoe Toland (1500m) and Ella Fennelly (3000m) who have been in personal best-smashing form recently.

Noah Harris, who just missed the World U20 qualification time in Cork on Wednesday, is also on the startlist for the 3000m. Pia Langton, who got her second World U20 qualifier in Cork on Wednesday, and Colin P Smith, who has got a lane at the Morton Games, are also on the startlist at the time of writing, but presumably won’t be racing.

The entries for the bronze level Moore-Guldensporenmeeting in Kortrijk include high jumpers Sommer Lecky and Daena Kealy; Lauren Callaghan who has been edging ever closer to the Athletics Ireland B standard for the long jump (6.55); Adam Nolan (110m hurdles), and sprinters Katie Bergin (100m, 200m), Molly Daly (400m), and Benjamin Richardson (100m, 200m).

McCann has run personal bests in her last two 1500m races, and bettered the Athletics Ireland B standard for Birmingham in her most recent outing on Wednesday. She will race again at the Meeting of Braga in Portugal (Continental Tour Bronze) on Saturday, as she continues to boost her Road to Birmingham ranking.

Elizabeth Ndudi (Long Jump) is also competing. Like McCann, she has the Athletics Ireland B standard, but needs a serious boost of ranking points if she is to make it to Birmingham.

Eilish Flanagan on the 5000m startlist for the Sound Running Sunset Tour in Los Angeles. This would be the Tokyo Olympian's first track race since 2024.

Sunday’s big meeting from an Irish perspective is Stratford Speed where a huge contingent of sprinters and hurdlers are entered. The women’s 400m Hurdles list, alone, contains the names of half a dozen Irish athletes.

Ciara Neville, Precious Akpe-Moses, Molly Scott, Sarah Leahy and Mollie O’Reilly are among the leading names in the women’s 100m, while Max O’Reilly, Colin Doyle and Michael Farrelly are entered in the men’s 100m.

Adam Murphy and Commonwealth Games-bound Anna McCauley look set to get a runout over 200m; Hugo Magee, Joe Doody, Darragh Murphy, Aaron Keane and Michelle Duggan are entered in the 400m, while Victoria Amiadamen and Cara Murphy are among those going in the 400m Hurdles.

After a mid-week win over 1500m in Joensuu, Maddie Mooney will again race in Finland, this time over 800m at the Tampere Meeting on Sunday.

Kealy, entered for both Morton on Friday and Kortrijk on Saturday, is also scheduled to compete at the Klaverbad International High Jump Meeting (Continental Tour Challenger) in Zoetermeer, Netherlands on Sunday.

Elsewhere

The Monaco Diamond League also takes place on Friday. There are no Irish athletes on the startlists, but fans can expect to see Faith Kipyegon (3000m), Simon Ehammer (Long Jump), Julien Alfred (200m) among the talent-packed fields. The meeting will be broadcast live on Virgin Media Two from 7-9pm.

Mikey Kent, another athlete chasing World U20 qualification, is entered in the long jump at two category F meetings in the Netherlands over the weekend. He has already surpassed the 7.60m standard once, and needs another jump in that range to book his ticket to Eugene.

After a successful afternoon in Ostrava on Tuesday, Irish athletes and fans turn their attentions to the next Continental Tour Gold meeting on the calendar, the FBK Games in Hengelo, where seven Irish athletes are due to compete, on Sunday.

The distance athletes will travel to Track Night Vienna and the Portland Track Festival, while the preliminary round of the National League and the National 5 Mile Championships take place at home, and a sprinkling of other meetings take place across Europe.

Continental Tour Gold, FBK Hengelo

The start lists for the FBK Games on Sunday look particularly exciting from an Irish perspective, with Cian McPhillips racing his first 800m since finishing fourth over the distance at the World Championships in Tokyo and Sharlene Mawdsley looking to continue her recent good run of form.

Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs will race over 5000m, while Cathal Doyle will continue his comeback from injury over 1500m. Orla Comerford is entered for the Para 100m, while Benjamine Richardson, who will be eligible to represent Ireland in August 2027, will race the 100m.

McPhillips won over 600m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston in late January before dental issues curtailed his season. The national 800m record holder already has the qualification standard for Birmingham, but will now look to add points for World Ultimate Championship qualification.

Mawdsley has run her three fastest times ever in her opening three 400m races of the season. Sub-50 is tantalisingly close, and achieving that may well be a valuable confidence booster ahead of Birmingham, where she’ll look to improve on her 8th-place finish last time out.

Both McElhinney and Griggs failed to finish their last 5000m – at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on 3rd June – though Griggs has since won the Northern Irish 800m title and ran a 3:52.81 mile in Ostrava on Tuesday while McElhinney ran 3:40.64 to finish 5th in the 1500m in Marseille on 10th June.

Both already have the Auto Q for Birmingham, with Griggs also likely to be selected for the Commonwealth Games.

Doyle, like McPhillips, is making up for lost time. Top of his agenda will be securing qualification for Birmingham, having missed out on qualification last time out. He achieved the Athletics Ireland B standard when he ran 3:34.00 in Turku on 3rd June. The Auto Q is 3:33.50.

Comerford was an easy winner of the mixed-classification para 100m at the Diamond League in Oslo on 10th June. She ran a wind-assisted 11.78 (+2.8m/s) there and will be hopeful of a legal wind this time around.

Benjamin Richards, who will be eligible to represent Ireland in August 2027, will race the 100m, after running a 150m PB in Ostrava on Tuesday.

Edit: McElhinney has withdrawn from the 5000m.

Other Continental Tour meetings

Friday

Bori Akinola (100m) and Sarah Lavin (100m Hurdles) will get the weekend started at Anhalt Meeting in Dessau, Germany on Friday. While Lavin already has the qualification standard for Birmingham, and Akinola holds the B standard and a ranking well within quota, they’ll be looking to build form and confidence over the coming weeks.

Akinola opened his season with 10.20 (+1.0) and a PB of 10.19 (+2.0) in Stratford at the end of May, and got a taste of Continental Tour Gold action in Ostrava on Tuesday, where he finished 6th in 10.38 (+0.0).

Lavin opened her season in Taipei a fortnight ago with a moderate 13.36 (-1.9), and will be looking to get back to sub-13 form soon.

Saturday

Among those entered for Track Night Vienna, where the top races will be paced at Birmingham qualification times, are Cillian Kirwan (800m), Michael Murphy, Callum Morgan, Danielle Donegan (5000m) and Finley Daly (3000m Steeplechase).

Daly just missed the Athletics Ireland B standard of 8:35.00 when he finished second (8:35.65) at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Birmingham last month. He is currently sitting just outside the quota spots.

Kirwan looked to have run a massive personal best at this meeting last year before it transpired that all but one of the 800m races used incorrect startlines for the runners in outer lanes, and the times were annulled. The national indoor champion will be hoping for better luck (and officiating) this time around.

The Athletics Ireland B standards of 13:20.00 and 15:22.00 are likely to be the target for those competing in the 5000m. Morgan came close when he ran 13:23.37 in Oordegem at the end of last season. Donegan’s best for the distance is the 16:06.12 she ran indoors in January, though she did run 15:54 on the roads a few weeks ago.

Kate Doherty is entered for both the 400m and 400m Hurdles at the ATX Classic in Georgetown, Texas. Doherty, events in which she has 53.90 and 59.20 personal bests, respectively, both set earlier this year.

Sunday

The startlists for the Portland Track Festival include Mark Milner (800m), James Dunne, Charlie O’Donovan, Maddie Mooney (1500m), Anika Thompson and Roisin Flanagan (5000m).

Dunne, who ran 3:38.05 in LA a week ago, and O’Donovan, who won the mile at the Penn Relays in April, will look to knock further time from their season’s bests, as will Mooney, who got very close to her two-year-old personal best when she ran 4:12.94 in Eugene last month.

The 15:22.00 Athletics Ireland B standard will likely be the target for Flanagan and Thompson, while Milner will be looking for a confidence-boosting run ahead of some races in Europe in the coming weeks.

Conor Cusack, who threw a PB of 75.83 at the European Throwing Cup in March, is competing at the Hylo Javelin Meeting in Offenburg, Germany, while Eric Favors will throw at the WGV Leichtathleticfestival in Stuttgart, Germany, his fourth competition in eight days.

Domestic action

The National League preliminary round will take place in Tullamore on Saturday. Forty-three club and country teams will battle for places in the national league finals on 9th August.

Attention on Sunday will turn to the roads, as the National 5 Mile Championships takes place in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Elsewhere

The rescheduled Doha Diamond League takes place on Friday. While many of the big names are missing and there are no Irish athletes, the presence of stars such as Neeraj Chopra (Javelin), Mutaz Essa Barshim (High Jump), Marileidy Paulino (400m), Cordel Tinch (110m Hurdles) and Soufiane El Bakkali (3000m Steeplechase) means that it’s still a must-watch meeting. Watch on Virgin Media Four or Virgin Media Player from 6-8pm.

Barry Keane, Oisín Ó Gailín and Orla O’Connor are on the elite startlist for the BAA 10km, a World Athletics Label race, in Boston on Sunday.

A small number of nations are holding their national championships over the weekend. You’ll find relevant links to watch and follow the British Championships on the TrackAthletes website.

The race for Road to Birmingham ranking points and B standards is well and truly on, but the focus this weekend for Northern Irish athletes will be on securing national titles and Commonwealth Games selection in the final days of Glasgow 2026 qualification.

Saturday is particularly busy, with Irish athletes in action at Continental Tour meetings in the UK, Malta, France, the Netherlands and the USA, along with Cat F meetings in Dublin and London. Depending on how Thursday goes at NCAAs in Eugene, the Irish women may also be contesting for national collegiate medals.

There are a small number of meetings with Irish interest on Sunday, with Irish athletes also likely to be competing at Continental Tour meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

NCAA Div I Nationals

Three Irish athletes will be competing for individual glory on the second day of the NCAA Division I Nationals in Eugene on Thursday, and while medals are unlikely, all three will be hoping to build on positive starts to 2026, and bolster their confidence ahead of this summer’s senior international championships.

Elizabeth Ndudi (long jump) and Maeve O’Neill (800m) broke national senior indoor records earlier in the year. Both have Athletics Ireland B standards for Birmingham, but are currently outside the quota spots.

They will be competing for ranking points in the weeks ahead, but Thursday’s challenge will be to perform at or above their current NCAA ranking status. O’Neill is ranked 16th in the NCAA and 13th of those competing; nine will make it to Saturday’s final. Ndudi is ranked 20th, and 13th of those competing.

Lauren Roy has already achieved the qualification standard for Birmingham in the 200m, the distance she will contest here, and is within quota, with the B standard, for the 100m. She also has Commonwealth Games consideration standards at both distances. Currently second on the Irish all-time lists for 100m and 200m, Roy is ranked =22nd of the 24 qualifiers, based on season’s best.

On Wednesday, Sean Aigboboh helped his University of Houston 4x100m relay team qualify for Friday’s final. They finished second in their heat, and recorded the third fastest time across the three heats.

Lucy-May Sleeman will also be racing in the 4x100m relay. Her Florida State University team race in the heats on Thursday. The final is on Saturday. They are ranked tenth.

Northern Ireland and Ulster Senior Championships

The Northern Ireland selection window for the 2026 Commonwealth Games will close at midnight on Sunday, and the team will be selected early next week. Before then, athletes have one final opportunity to achieve nomination standards, and to win an Ulster and Northern Ireland Senior Championships title.

If the start lists are anything to go by, some cracking races could be expected. Nick Griggs and James Gormley, who both hold qualification standards over the mile and 5000m, are entered in the 800m, alongside Andrew Thompson who did better the 800m standard last summer, but not in a World Athletics calendar meeting.

Callum Morgan, the third man who has bettered the 5000m nomination standard is entered for the 1500m, while the women’s 200m could see Arlene Crossan, Rachel McCann, Jenna Breen and Michelle Duggan go head-to-head, though Breen and Duggan are also entered in the 400m, and Crossan is also down for the 100m.

Anna McCauley, who, alongside Kate O’Connor, has exceeded the Heptathlon standard is entered for Javelin and Shot Put, while Finn O’Neill, who’ll be hoping for selection in the Decathlon, is entered in the Pole Vault and the Shot Put.

Other field event entries of note are in-form Discus Thrower Anna Gavigan, former national shot put record holder John Kelly, Ashleigh McCardle (Javelin and Shot Put) and Thomas Williams (Hammer Throw). Sommer Lecky is entered for the High Jump both here and at a competition in France also on Saturday. It’s unclear which she will do.

Elsewhere on Saturday

James Dunne is entered for the 1500m at the USATF Distance Classic, which is being held alongside the LA Grand Prix, a Continental Tour Gold meeting. Dunne continues to search for the form that saw him run 3:35.17 last May, before injury derailed his progress.

Lauren Callaghan and Sophie Meredith are both on the long jump startlist at Meeting Nikaia (Continental Tour Bronze). Both have jumped personal bests this season, and will be looking to continue their progress and pick up some ranking points.

Ruby Millet, who made a winning return to long jumping after an absence of almost three years, is entered for Gouden Spike (Continental Tour Challenger) in the Netherlands. She’ll be looking to at least replicate the 6.38m she jumped last weekend.

Fintan Dewhirst will be looking to build on the 51.93 he ran to win the IUAA Intervarsity 400m hurdles title in April when he takes to the start line at the EAP Malta International (Continental Tour Challenger). His personal best is 51.19 from May 2024, but he’ll also have his sights on the 50.81 PB his younger brother Ethan ran earlier this season.

This has already been a good summer for Irish female high jumpers, and both Sommer Lecky and Aoife O’Sullivan will look to exceed 1.80m when they take part in the Envol Trophee (Continental Tour Challenger) in France. Lecky, who has a best of 1.90m, cleared 1.79m in Granada earlier this month, while O’Sullivan, unbeaten in six competitions this year, has a season’s best of 1.78.

There are more than 30 Irish athletes on the start lists for the British Milers Club Grand Prix (Continental Tour Challenger) in Loughborough. Among them are Eimear Maher, Saoirse Fitzgerald, Jo-Lauren Keane and Callum Hurley who will compete over 800m, Niall Murphy, Amy O'Donoghue and Niamh Carr at 1500m and Jamie Battle and Ella Fennelly, both entered for 3000m.

Among those entered for the fifth Dublin Graded Meeting of the year are Orla Comerford, Mollie O’Reilly and Katie Bergin in the 200m, Conor Cusack in the Javelin and Eoin Sheridan and Michael Healy in the Discus Throw.

Two meetings in London on Saturday with Irish interest are the BFTTA Outdoor Series 3 meeting where Marcus Lawler, Max O’Reilly, Paul Costelloe and Cliodhna Manning are all entered, and The London 5000m, for which Diarmuid Fagan, Fennelly (also entered at Loughborough, see above), Emily Haggard-Kearney and Patricia Jackman hold an entry.

Benjamin Richardson, who will be eligible to represent Ireland in August 2027, is entered for both the 100m and 200m at the Dromia Sprint and Relays Meeting (Continental Tour Silver) in Greece.

A small number of athletes are also entered for the BAUHAUS Juniors-Gala in Mannheim.

Sunday's action

Sunday looks like a calmer day for fans, but those competing will be looking to generate a storm of their own.

Fresh from her 11.31 personal best in London on Tuesday, Ciara Neville will be racing for ranking points when she competes in the 100m at the Folksam Grand Prix in Sollentuna, Sweden, a Continental Tour Bronze meeting.

Eric Favors (Shot Put) and Niamh Fogarty (Discus) will be looking for some form in the throwing circles in Sollentuna. Favors, whose place at the European Championships looks secured, will now be looking to travel to Birmingham in the best shape possible.

Fogarty, however, has some work to do if she is to make her first major international as a senior. Her Irish record of 58.40m is further than the Athletics Ireland B standard of 57.80m, but she has yet to get close to that within the qualification window.

Clodagh Walsh is entered for Vault Manchester, while Daena Kealy is due to high jump at the BIG on Tour jumps meeting at the University of Birmingham.

Diamond League and Continental Tour meetings, NCAA regional qualifiers, All-Ireland schools championships, and the National Half Marathon Championships are just some of the places to spot Irish athletes this weekend.

Mark English will look to continue his winning ways as Andrew Coscoran opens his outdoor season at the Rabat Diamond League. Cathal Doyle, making his return after injury, and Nick Griggs, will race at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz.

Sophie O’Sullivan, Darragh McElhinney, Jodie McCann, Laura Nicholson and John Kelly are on the startlist for the Trond Mohn Games in Bergin. Lauren Callaghan takes her fine recent form to Cyprus, and Emma Moore is due to compete in Forbach, France.

Alex O'Neill, Danielle Donegan, Andrew Thompson and Eric Favors are among those on Continental Tour Challenger startlists.

NCAA Division I athletes will continue their endeavour of making it to Eugene for the national finals, while several Irish athletes will look for fast times at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Birmingham.

Future stars will be on display at the All-Ireland Schools Championships in Tullamore and the National Half Marathon titles will be decided in Cork

Diamond League

The Rabat Diamond League, live on Virgin Media Three from 7-9pm on Sunday, will round out the weekend’s action. Among the entries are Mark English, who two weeks ago became the first Irish man ever to win a Diamond discipline at a Diamond League meeting.

Among English’s opposition in the Moroccan capital will be 1.41 men Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Gabriel Tual, as well as four other athletes with personal bests faster than his. A second win would be a massive ask, but a solid pace could drag English into new territory time wise.

Coscoran has not raced since the World Indoors in March, where he focused on the 3000m. Here he’ll face seven sub-3:30 men, over 1500m, including the World Champion Isaac Nader, a somewhat surprise winner of a race in which Coscoran finished 12th.

The Star of the Sea A.C. athlete twice broke the national indoor record earlier this year. Could 2026 be the year he finally breaks the 3:30 mark outdoors?

Continental Tour Gold

Cathal Doyle will make his much-anticipated return to competition over 1500m at the Irena Szewińska Memorial, a Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Bydgoszcz on Friday, having struggled with injury over the winter months.

Among his opposition will be Nick Griggs, who suffered a somewhat unexpected defeat over the mile at the British Milers Club meeting in Belfast last weekend.

Continental Tour Silver

Irish interest at the Trond Mohn Games in Bergen includes Sophie O’Sullivan, Darragh McElhinney, Jodie McCann, Laura Nicholson and John Kelly.

McElhinney, who already has the Birmingham standard over 5000m and Sophie O’Sullivan, who has secured the 1500m standard, will be chasing some speed as they step down to 1500m and 800m respectively.

Unlike O’Sullivan, Jodie McCann and Laura Nicholson are still chasing the Athletics Ireland B standard, and valuable ranking points, in the 1500m. Both raced in Germany on Sunday, but a slow, tactical race meant they were unable to capitalise on the opportunity to race at this level.

John Kelly, former Irish shot put record holder, is looking to get back to the sort of form that took him beyond 20 metres in 2022. His best so far this season was the 18.19 he threw to win silver at the National Indoor Championships in March.

Continental Tour Bronze

Emma Moore made big strides during the indoor season, smashing her previous best over 800m. With European Championship qualification in mind, Forbach appears to be the first outdoor stop on the Road to Birmingham. Moore will be looking to improve her PB  to at least 2:00.95, the Athletics Ireland B standard for Birmingham, in the coming weeks.

While still early days, Lauren Callaghan is just a couple of spots outside the long jump quota for Birmingham. She opened her outdoor campaign with a fine 6.42 in Loughborough a fortnight ago, and will look to collect some of the valuable placing points on offer in Cyprus on Friday. She is also chasing the Athletics Ireland B standard of 6.55 metres.

Continental Tour Challenger

Some of the races at Saturday’s British Milers Club Grand Prix at the University of Birmingham hold Continental Tour Challenger (category D status), while others have gathered strong fields chasing fast times.

The women’s 5000m is particularly strong from an Irish perspective with Emily Haggard-Kearney, one of the silver-medal winning Irish team from last weekend’s European 10,000m Cup, is on the startlist alongside Danielle Donegan, Ella Fennelly, who last weekend ran 15:50.65, and others.

Callum Morgan, Louis O’Loughlin and Philip Marron are due to contest the men’s 1500m; Eimear Maher, Zoe Toland and Niamh Carr are in the women’s 1500m, and Finley Daly and Abbie Sheridan will contest their respective steeplechases.

Alex O'Neill (800m) and Donegan (5000m) are both entered for the Puma Notro Lange Laufnacht, though the latter is also entered for the BMC meeting mentioned above.

O’Neill got her outdoor campaign underway in Germany on Sunday, and will be looking to continue her push towards European Championship qualification.

Eric Favors, sitting comfortably in a Birmingham quota spot, is among the shot put entries for the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, TN.

Andrew Thompson will continue his quest for the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games consideration standard at the Triveneto Meeting Internazionale in Trieste on Saturday. Thompson did better the required 1:46.70 mark late last summer, but not in a race listed on the World Athletics calendar.

Aaron Keane is entered for the 200m at the Meeting National de Seine et Marne in France on Friday. The Tullamore Harrier has a best of 21.45 for the distance from last August.

Domestic action

The National Half Marathon Championships take place as part of the Cork Marathon on Sunday, where John Travers, Ryan Creech and Hannah Steed are among the leading entrants.

Before that, some of the future stars of Irish athletics will compete for All-Ireland schools titles in Tullamore. Among the names to look out for in the senior events there are national indoor pole vault champions Mikey Kent (who will also contest the Long Jump) and Meabh Corkery, and throwers Theo Hanlon (Shot Put) and Thomas Williams (Hammer).

Erin Friel, who recently made her senior debut at the world relays, will contest the 400m. National U20 400m hurdles record holder Ellis McHugh is due to compete in both the 400m hurdles, and the sprint hurdles where she will face national lead Orlaith Mannion. European Cross Country medallist Emma Hickey will race the 3000m, while Tara O’Connor is one of the names to look out for in the High Jump.

NCAA Division I Regional Qualifiers

More than two dozen Irish athletes will be competing in the Regional rounds of the NCAA Div I Championships this week. Action in Lexington, KY (East) and Fayetteville, AR (West) got underway on Thursday, with Sean Aigboboh, who has qualified for the next round of the 200m, the best of the Irish performances so far.

Aigboboh, along with Lauren Roy (100m, 200m), Lucy-May Sleeman (100m), Maeve O’Neill (800m), Oisin Spillane (3000m Steeplechase), Siún Quinn (High Jump) and Elizabeth Ndudi (Long Jump), are just some of the athletes to watch out for as they endeavour to qualify for the national finals in Eugene, OR next month.

Performances this weekend are likely to have a big impact on the Road to Birmingham rankings. Check out TrackAthletes.ie for all the relevant updates over the coming days.

A strong Irish contingent will take on the European 10,000m Cup in Italy this weekend, dozens will flock to Brussels for the two-day IFAM Continental Tour Bronze meeting, others will take part in continental tour meetings in the USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany.

There is a strong entry for the Leinster Senior, Masters and U20 Championships, as well as the British Milers Club Meeting in Belfast. Dundrum South Dublin will compete in both the men’s and the women’s competitions at the European Champion Clubs Cup in Spain.

And there is Irish interest on the final day of the NAIA Championships in the US, at the World Race Walking Tour Gold meeting in Spain and at least three meetings across the spring bank holiday weekend in England.

European 10,000m Cup

The 2025 edition of this annual continental event was a memorable one as Efrem Gidey cruised to the men’s title, and in doing so won Ireland’s first European 10,000m Cup medal.

Efrem won’t be back to defend his title, but a number of individuals within the squad will be chasing qualification for this summer’s European Championships in Birmingham, as well as having team aspirations.

The women’s team looks particularly strong, with Niamh Allen and Fiona Everard looking to convert the form they’ve shown on the roads and the cross country already this year, to the 25-lap track event. Emily Haggard-Kearney and Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill add further firepower. Patricia Jackman and Faye Dervan complete the team.

Allen finished 21st at the World Cross Country in January, and has been setting course records on the roads of Cork, and beyond, in recent weeks. This will be her first 10,000m race on the track, but fine runs over 3000m and 5000m last summer suggest that her talents aren’t confined to the roads and the country.

Everard was the first woman home at the 10km de Saint Medard en Jalles in France at the end of March. Her winning time there was 31:58, faster than the Auto Q for Birmingham, but while times for road races can count, for women they must be set in women’s only races.

Haggard-Kearney, with an official best of 32:51 on the roads (she ran 32:01 at the Trafford 10km, an event not listed on the World Athletics Calendar, earlier this year), and Nic Dhomhnaill, who ran 32:24 at the Valencia 10km in January, also have the potential to set new marks on the track, and contend for a spot in Birmingham.

Callum Morgan, already an established underage international, will be racing his first 10,000m, after breaking the Northern Irish 10km record with 28:08 in Valencia. Morgan has already secured the Northern Ireland 5000m consideration standard for the Commonwealth Games, but his presence at this event suggests that he also has at least one eye on Birmingham too.

Oisín Ó Gailín made his Irish senior debut at this event last year, where he finished 7th in the B Final (29:02.05). Michael Murphy and Jamie Battle, both making their Irish senior debuts, complete the team

Any athlete who doesn’t hit the qualification standard (auto Q), could still make the Birmingham team by ranking. To do so, they would need to hit the Athletics Ireland B standard (28:30 for men; 32:55 for women) and have a ranking, based on their best two performances, at least one of which needs to be run on the track, during the qualification window.

European U23 champion Anika Thompson is currently the only Irish woman on the road to Birmingham list for 10,000m. She is ranked 43rd, with 27 spots available, but has secured the B standard. The battle for places on the men’s side is likely to be fierce. Gidey already has the Auto standard, as does Jack O’Leary. Four others have achieved the B standard.

IFAM: Brussels Bonanza

There are just over 100 Irish athletes on the entry list for the 2-day IFAM meeting in Brussels (Continental Tour Bronze). Among them are Sharlene Mawdsley, entered for both the 200m and 400m, Sophie Becker (400m), Irish U23 steeplechase record holder Ava O’Connor, Luke McCann continuing his injury return over 800m, and Arlene Crossan, who will look to bring her recent relay form to the 400m Hurdles.

IFAM is often a breakthrough meeting for many athletes, and among the emerging athlete names to look out for are Craig Duffy, who was in flying form at the IUAA Championships last month, Erin Friel (200m, 400m), Niall Murphy (5000m) and Abbie Sheridan (3000m steeplechase).

Other European meetings

If the number of Irish competitors in Brussels looks a little lower than last year, that may well be because a number of athletes are competing elsewhere over the weekend, including at other Continental Tour meetings.

Biggest of these is the Internationales Pfingstsportfest Rehlingen, a Continental Tour Silver meeting in Germany on Sunday. Jodie McCann, Eimear Maher and Laura Nicholson are all in the 1500m field, and they will be looking for a fast time and big ranking points towards European Championship qualification.

With PBs in the 4:07-4:08 range, all three are within touch of the Athletics Ireland B standard of 4:07.00 for Birmingham, the minimum required for selection. Nicholson is currently within quota on ranking, but lots will change over the coming weeks.

Alex O’Neill, another with Birmingham aspirations is on the 800m startlist and Mark Smyth has been added to the 100m field.

Andrew Egan (200m) and Conor Cusack (Javelin) are among the entries of the Pfingstmeeting (CT Challenger) in Switzerland on Saturday. Irish Half Marathon record holder Fearghal Curtin is entered for the Spåret 5000m (CT Challenger) in Sweden on Saturday. His best for the distance is 13:34.44 from 2023. Niamh Fogarty, Irish Discus record holder, will compete at the Sæby Wind Challenge (Cat F) in Denmark.

Oisin Lane and Aisling Lane are both on the 10km startlists for the Gran Premio Internacional de Marche Cantones de A Coruña in Spain on Saturday.

Ireland will be represented by DSD in both the men’s and women’s section of the European Champion Clubs Cup in Castellón, Spain. Among the star performers named in their team are Mollie O’Reilly (100m), Ciarán Carthy (400m), Amy O’Donoghue (800m), Paul O’Donnell (3000m), Megan Ryan (5000m), and Kate Doherty (400m Hurdles).

Closer to home

Nick Griggs (Mile) is the star name on the Belfast BMC startlist. It was at this event last year Griggs made his return from injury, running 3:55.97 in wet conditions. His best for the distance is 3:52.42 from Morton Games last July.

There are plenty of other names to look out for, including Ava O’Connor and Zoe Toland in the women’s mile, and Pia Langton and Emma Moore, who’ll be looking to continue their strong starts to 2026 in the women’s 800m.

Oisín Lynch, Callum Hurley and Robert Hewison are among a particularly strong men’s 800m lineup, while Louis O’Loughlin, Amy Greene and Roise Roberts are expected to race over 3000m.

There is lots of talent to watch out for at the Leinster Senior Championships in Carlow (SETU), particularly in the men’s sprints, men’s walk, and the field events.

Max O’Reilly, Adam Murphy, Mark Smyth and Marcus Lawler could face off over 200m, though Symth, as mentioned above, is now on the Rehlingen startlist. O’Reilly and sprint hurdler Adam Nolan are also entered in the shorter sprint.

Matthew Callinan Keenan (Pole Vault), Sam Healy (Long Jump), Saragh Buggy (Long Jump and Triple Jump), Sophie Meredith (Long Jump) and Eoin Sheridan (Discus Throw) are among those to watch out for in the field.

Matthew Glennon, Joe Mooney and David Kenny are all entered in the 5000m walk while Cliodhna Manning is down for the 100m and 200m.

Across the Atlantic

Irish 100m record-holder Israel Olatunde is on the startlist for both the 100m and 200m at the PURE Athletics Spring Invitational in Clermont, FL (Cat F), where Shane Howard is due to contest the Long Jump. Eric Favors will compete at the Throws U Series #3 event in Fleetwood.

Maddie Mooney (800m), James Dunne and Ronan McMahon-Staggs (both 1500m) and Roisin Flanagan (5000m) are on the startlist for the LA Track Festival, while Rory Devaney (Hammer) and Kate Joyce (Javelin) will compete at the Tucson Elite Throws (CT Silver) meeting on Saturday. Both meetings hold Continental Tour silver status.

There will also be Irish interest on the final day of the NAIA Championship on Friday. After cruising through Thursday’s heats, Nathan Cremin will race in the 800m final. Heather Murphy, who won the 10,000m title on Thursday is also entered for Friday’s 5000m final, though weather delays earlier in the week means she has had a day less than scheduled to recover.

Elsewhere, Charlie O’Donovan, fresh off his Penn Relays win, is the fastest entry for the mile at the Down the Stretch Track Fest (Cat F).

Looking ahead to midweek, 23 Irish athletes in individual events, plus two others named on relay squads, are declared for the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Division I Championships, which will start on Wednesday in Lexington, KY (East Regionals) and Fayetteville, AR (West Regionals). The top 12 athletes in each region will qualify for the National finals in Eugene in early June.

And in the UK

Mikey Kent (Long Jump) and Theo Hanlon (Shot Put), who both broke Leinster Schools championship records during the week, are entered for the BIGish Jumps and throws Fest in Bedford on Monday, along with Daena Kealy who made an impressive return to high jump action last Sunday and Cian Crampton (Discus), who missed the spring with a foot injury.

The popular Stratford Speed meetings in London have a reputation for producing fast times, and among the Irish athletes looking to impress at the first of this year’s series are Bori Akinola (100m, 200m), Paul Costelloe (100m, 200m), Michael Farrelly (100m), Ciara Neville (100m), Aisling Kelly (100m, 200m), Katie Bergin (100m), Sophie Becker (200m) and Hugo Magee (200m, 400m).

A small number of Irish athletes are also entered for the Comeback 5000m in London on Saturday.

Diamond in the rough

Finally, the second round of the 2026 Diamond League will take place in Xiamen, China, on Saturday. There are no Irish competitors, but plenty to interest athletics fans. The event will be shown live on Virgin Media Two from 12:00-14:00.

All eyes this weekend will be on Mary Peter’s track as the Continental Tour comes to Belfast. The Belfast Classic always showcases an athlete or two who has wintered particularly well, and the 2026 edition is set to be one of the best yet.

A quieter weekend elsewhere means that fans can focus their attention on the domestic event ahead of much busier weekends later in May.

Marquee season opener in Belfast

The first Irish continental tour meeting of the year - the Belfast Classic - plays host to some of the best Irish athletes, with stars from last weekend’s World Relays ensuring that the women’s 400m international and A races, in particular, will be very competitive.

If the startlists are anything to go by, there will also be competitive 1500m and 3000m events. The international women’s and men’s 800 deciders, which will close the programme, look particularly strong, with a small helping of Irish athletes in among the international fields.

Sophie Becker and Rachel McCann, who helped the Irish women’s 4x400m qualify for the 2027 World Championships last weekend, will be joined by Cliodhna Manning in the International 400m, where they will face stiff opposition from across the UK.

Arlene Crossan, Jenna Breen and Molly Daly, who all competed in Gaborone, along with Michelle Duggan, one of the reserves from the Tokyo team, are among the entries in the A 400m race. Erin Friel is entered in the 200m.

Jack Raftery, who also competed at the World Relays, David Mannion and Hugo Magee are on the startlist for the men’s international 400m.

The international men’s 3000m startlist includes Callum Morgan, Michael Morgan and Jamie Battle who were, earlier this week, all named in the Irish team for the upcoming European 10,000m Cup. Jack O’Leary, who finished fifth at the European Cross Country Championships in December is also set to open his outdoor campaign.

Fiona Everard, who was also this week named in the Irish team for the European 10,000m Cup, will face opposition from Belgium, Sweden and the UK in the women’s international 3000m. Among her Irish competitors are Cheryl Nolan, Zoe Toland, Róise Roberts and Abbie Sheridan.

Alex O’Neill and Andrew Thompson are the star Irish names in the International 800m races, while national indoor champion Cillian Kirwan is on the A race startlist.

Admission to Mary Peters for this action-packed day of action is free. Those who can’t make it to Belfast, can enjoy a livestream of all races across the programme.

Elsewhere

Matthew Glennon is the sole senior Irish athlete competing at the World Racewalking Tour Gold in Poděbrady, Czechia, on Friday afternoon. Glennon will be competing over the half marathon distance.

Ever-improving discus thrower Anna Gavigan is on the startlist for the Continental Tour Challenger Ter Specke Bokaal meeting in Lisse, Netherlands on Saturday. She is also entered for the Dublin Graded meeting on Sunday, as is fellow discus thrower Eoin Sheridan.

With most of the NCAA Division I schools scheduled to compete in conference championships next week, this is a quieter week in the US. There are still a handful of athletes on the startlists for meetings in Oregon, California, Kansas, New York, Arkansas and Illinois.

Una Brice, Scott Fagan, Sean Lawton, Muireann Duffy and Laura McConville are also scheduled to compete in conference championships. Check out the NCAA/Collegiate page for further details and links to startlists and livestreams, where available.

The Irish National Senior Indoor Championships takes centre stage this weekend, but Irish athletes will also be in action at Conference Championships in the US, on the roads in Japan and outdoors in Hobart.

With just over a week left in the qualification period for the World Indoors, Irish athletes hoping to compete there will have half an eye on the ranking lists for Toruń, and some may even be targeting B standards over the weekend.

National Indoor Championships

The 38th edition of the Irish Senior Indoor Championships will take place at the National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Abbotstown on Saturday and Sunday.

Among the athletes expected to headline the event is defending 60m champion and newly minted national record holder Bori Akinola, who has already secured the Auto Q for the World Indoor Championships.

The men’s middle-distance races are again packed with intrigue, and the 1500m and 3000m promise to be close battles, irrespective of which event the main contenders decide to do.

Both national 1500m, mile and 3000m national record holder Andrew Coscoran, and European U23 Cross Country Champion Nick Griggs are entered for the 1500m and 3000m. Coscoran has the standard for World Indoors in both events, while Griggs – who is still looking for his first national senior title – has the standard over the longer distance.

Darragh McElhinney has the B standard for the 3000m, and he’s entered to race over that distance on Sunday, as is the ever-improving Callum Morgan. Luke McCann and James Dunne will continue their return from injury over the metric mile.

Mark English, who has broken the national indoor 600m and 800m records in 2026 will look to add another national 800m title to his tally, while Emma Moore will be the likely favourite in the women’s 800m.

Ciara Neville is one of three Irish athletes with the Athletics Ireland B standard in for Toruń in the women's 60m, but with the other two in college in the US, she’ll start as red-hot favourite on Sunday, as will Sarah Lavin, who has the World Indoor standard, in the sprint hurdles on Saturday.

Sharlene Mawdsley looked very impressive when she opened her season over 400m last week, and she’ll look to win a third consecutive title over the distance on Sunday.

Ireland’s top female multi-eventers – Kate O’Connor and Anna McCauley – are both entered for a few events over the weekend. O’Connor, who has already secured her spot in Torun will compete over 60m hurdles and long jump, while McCauley is entered for the hurdles, long jump and shot put.

Eric Favors (shot put), Aoife O’Sullivan (high jump) and Lauren O’Callaghan (long jump) will look to add to their growing resumes in the field events, while the men’s long jump could be head-to-head between Leevale pair Reece Ademola (who is yet to open his season) and Sam Healy.

The women’s triple jump will have its first winner not named Saragh Buggy since 2015.

See the Athletics Ireland website and other media sources for in-depth previews.

The event will be broadcast on Virgin Media 2 on Sunday from 2:30-4:30pm, with Athletics Ireland YouTube streams across both days.

Take part in Fantasy National Indoors here

NCAA Conference Championships

Three of the Irish records set in 2026 (Maeve O’Neill, 800m; Diarmuid O’Connor, Heptathlon; Elizabeth Ndudi, Long Jump) and other breakthroughs (Lauren Roy, 60m and 200m) have come from athletes based in the NCAA system.

Most, if not all, of these athletes are competing for their universities in the NCAA Conference Championships this week.

Athletes qualify for NCAA nationals by being in the top 16 performances across the nation during the season. Roy, O’Neill and Ndudi all look likely to qualify, while Abdel Laadjel is currently sitting just outside the qualification spots in the men’s 5000m.

Elsewhere

Laura Nicholson has spent the winter training in Australia, and has already picked up a win in New Zealand and potentially valuable World Ranking points in Perth, Australia. She will line up in the 3000m at the Hobart Track Classic on Saturday.

Irish record holder Fearghal Curtin is among the elite entries for the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday. Curtin broke the national record last October when winning the Gyeongju International Marathon in South Korea in 2:07:54.

The indoor season is relentless, and numerous Irish athletes will again be chasing qualification standards, national records and personal bests across the globe.

Much of the attention will be focused on the east coast of the United States where Irish athletes will be competing at both the Millrose Games and the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, but there is also action across Europe and in Ireland.

Irish in action at Millrose Games

The second of this season’s eight World Indoor Tour (WIT) Gold meetings will take place in New York on Sunday, and again there will be a strong Irish presence.

Cian McPhillips, who looked very impressive in his season opener over 600m at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston last Saturday, will race his first 800m since finishing fourth at the World Championships last September.

The World Indoor standard of 1:45.90 and Mark English’s recent Irish record of 1:44.65 will be among the possible targets, though another win at this level - particularly against three fellow sub 1.43 athletes - will be just as important. Among his opposition are Bryce Hoppel, Donavan Brazier, Ben Pattison and Mohamed Attaoui.

Andrew Coscoran, who finished second in Boston, just missing his own Irish record but securing the World Indoor qualification standard, will race over the mile this weekend. The World 1500m finalist broke Eamon Coughlan’s indoor mile record and Ray Flynn’s overall record when he finished seventh last year.

Eric Favors opened his season with 19.95m on 10th January, and will be looking towards the Athletics Ireland B standard for World Indoors (20.45m).

The Millrose Games features quite a substantial pre-programme, and among the other Irish athletes competing are Margaret Hayden in the Women’s Weight Throw on Saturday and Lucas Lyons in the junior men’s mile. There are also Irish representatives in the 'Fastest Kid in the World' races.

The Irish descend on Boston in expectation of fast times.

The Boston University indoor track has a reputation for producing fast times, and while the strong middle distance fields that reputation attracts can’t guarantee personal bests and national records, they certainly increase the chances.

In addition to all the college students, a number of Irish athletes have just completed a stint of altitude training in Flagstaff, and they appear to be descending on Boston en masse for the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Friday (Women) and Saturday (Men).

Brian Fay, Nick Griggs, Callum Morgan, James Gormley, Dean Casey and Micheál Power are all in the top heat of the men’s 5000m. Griggs already has both the European standard (13:08.00) and the Commonwealth Games consideration standard (13:30.00), but both the national U23 (13:24.17) and senior (13:12.56) indoor records stand danger.

Darragh McElhinney and Jack O’Leary are among those taking on the 3000m. With just two spots available at the World Indoors, and Conscoran and Griggs already having secured the qualification standard (7:33.00) at this distance, a good run from either could cause a potential headache for selectors.

Having paced in Boston last week, James Dunne will be making his competitive return following injury. The Tullamore Harrier had a breakthrough over 1500m early last summer, when he ran 3:35.17. He will be joined in the mile by Lughaidh Mallon, who ran 3:56.09 outdoors last summer, recent U23 1000m record breaker Liam Lyons, and Irish Indoor champion Kevin McGrath. Cillian Kirwan and Conall Rogers will race over 800.

On the women’s side, Danielle Donegan, Anna Gardiner and Niamh O’Mahony will race the 5000m. Jane Buckley is entered for the 3000m, Cara Laverty and Maddy Mooney will race the mile, Gemma Galvin is entered for the 1000m and Maeve O’Neill will run her first 800m of the indoor season, having run 2:41.07 for 1000m in mid-January and 1:28.09 for 600m on this track in early December.

Elsewhere in the US

There are a number of other meetings in the US on Friday and Saturday.

Conor Kelly will race over 200m at the Razorback Invitational. Lucy-May Sleeman (60m and 200m), Elizabeth Ndudi (long jump) and Siun Quinn (high jump) are among the other Irish on the startlists.

Diarmuid O’Connor is entered for the shot put and high jump at the Harvard Invitational after improving his own Irish Heptathlon record last week.

Mark Milner (800m) and Ronan McMahon-Staggs (mile) are among the entries for the Washington Invite and Mile City in Seattle. McMahon-Staggs ran 3:51.85 for the mile on this track - which is longer than 200m, so doesn't count for indoor rankings or qualification - just over a year ago.

Check out our calendar page for details of other meetings where Irish athletes are competing.

European and Irish action

After moving to second on the Irish all-time list for the Pentathlon just two weeks ago, Anna McCauley will compete at the World Combined Events Tour Silver meeting in Tallinn on Sunday. Kate O’Connor broke the Irish record here last year before going on to have a season of dreams which included four championship medals.

Jodie McCann is on the startlist for the mile at the World Indoor Tour Silver Meeting de L’Eure in France on Sunday and Molly Scott (60m, 60m hurdles) is due to race at IFAM Gent Indoors, a WIT bronze event, on Saturday.

A little closer to home, the ScottishAthletics EAP (WIT Challenger) has a large number of athletes competing. Bori Akinola (60m) and Lauren Callaghan (Long Jump), will compete in the disciplines in which they won WIT Bronze meetings last week. Also on the startlists are Eimear Maher (Mile), Ciara Neville, Orla Comerford, Sarah Leahy and Molly O’Reilly (60m) and Rachel McCann. See our event page for full startlists.

Clodagh Walsh (Pole Vault), Michael Kent (Long Jump) and Saragh Buggy (Triple Jump) are all on the startlist for the Loughborough Indoor Open on Sunday. David Onwudiwe (Triple Jump) is entered for the South of England Championships, also on Sunday afternoon.

The Irish domestic action this weekend includes the Leinster Senior Championships on Saturday for which there are some strong fields, and the Munster Senior Championships on Monday.

There will be Irish interest in mid-week meetings in Ostrava, Czechia (World Indoor Tour Gold) and Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, where some of the top 400m athletes will open their seasons.

*Update since publishing: McPhillips has withdrawn from Millrose Games.

The World Indoor Tour cracks into life this weekend as the first Gold meeting of the season takes place in Boston. Four Irish athletes will compete there, as well as others in Silver, Bronze and Challenger meetings across the globe.

It’s another busy weekend of US college meetings, there’s a very strong entry for the guest races at the first round of the National Indoor League. And some athletes will take to the roads.

Friday Night Lights

European U23 1500m bronze medallist Eimear Maher looked in great form when she came home second on the opening leg of the mixed relay at the European Cross Country Championships in December. She will race the 1500m at Meeting Internacional Catalunya de Pista Coberta (World Indoor Tour Challenger) in Sabadell this evening. The Auto Q for the World indoors is 4:06.00, while the Athletics Ireland B standard is 4:09.75.

Long Jumper Lauren Callaghan will continue her season at World Indoor Tour Bronze Meeting de Nantes Metropole, a meeting that is being streamed live on the European Athletics YouTube channel.

Super Saturday

Among the star-studded fields gathered for weekend’s main event - the New Balance Grand Prix - are Andrew Coscoran, Brian Fay, Nick Griggs (3000m) and Cian McPhillips (600m).

Coscoran broke the Irish record when winning this event last year. Brian Fay arrives in Massachusetts two weeks after finishing 16th at the World Cross Country Championships. This will be Nick Griggs’s first competitive outing since romping to the European U23 Cross Country title in December, and his first indoor race since his epic battle with Cathal Doyle at the NIA almost two years ago.

In addition to having their eye on the win, and the bragging rights, some of the numbers these three may have in mind are 7:33.00 (World Indoor Auto Q), 7:41.00 (Athletics Ireland B standard for Poland), 7:30.75 (Coscoran’s National Indoor Record) and 7:30.36 (Mark Carroll’s outright Irish record). Grigg’s national U23 record is 7.45.57.

There are just two spots in each event for each federation at the World Indoors – unless an athlete can unlock a wild card by winning the World Indoor Tour in the event. Either way, competition for the spots will be fierce.

In his first track race since finishing fourth in the 800m in Tokyo, Cian McPhillips will face Donovan Brazier and Bryce Hoppel over three laps of the track. The Irish Indoor 600m record, which Mark English set in what was essentially a solo run at the NIA 10 days ago, may well receive further revision.

English himself has the opportunity to further alter the national indoor 800m record he set in Luxembourg on Sunday when he races at the Meeting Indoor de Lyon, also on Saturday. Also lining up at this World Indoor Tour Bronze meeting will be Bori Akinola (60m) and Jodie McCann (1500m).

Laura Nicholson, who has been training in Australia, will be racing over the mile at the World Continental Tour Bronze Pak'nSave Cooks International Classic in Whanganui, New Zealand on Saturday (7:50am Irish time).

The first round of the National Indoor League takes place in the NIA on Saturday and there is a big entry in the Open races. Max O'Reilly, Paul Costelloe and Michael Farrelly are among the 60m entries and Molly Scott is down for the 60m and 60m Hurdles. Declared athletes on the National League entries include Marcus Lawler (200m), Adam Nolan and Arabella Adekoya (60m Hurdles), and Conor Callinan and Matthew Callinan Keenan (Pole Vault), though they could change by tomorrow.

Something for Sunday

Sarah Lavin will open her indoor campaign at the World Indoor Tour Silver Meeting de Paris, where she will face French Indoor Champion Laeticia Bapte and Olympic finalist Alaysha Johnson (USA), among others. The first target for Lavin will be the 8.02 World Indoor standard.

Lucy Holmes, Niamh Carr and Philip Marron are all due to race over 2000m at Meeting Moniz Pereira (World Indoor Tour Challenger) in Portugal.

The AXA Raheny 5, one of only two World Athletics Label Road Races in Ireland, will also take place on Sunday. Ryan Creech, Cathal O'Reilly and Ann-Marie McGlynn are among the sold-out entries for the event.

US college action other US meetings (across Friday and Saturday)

Diarmuid O’Connor carries a 13-point cushion over his national record-breaking day one performance into Friday’s day two of the heptathlon at the Penn Elite Multi-Events in Philadelphia.

European Cross Country team gold medallists Callum Morgan and Lughaidh Mallon will race over 3000m at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational at Boston University on Saturday where Irish Indoor 1500m champion Kevin McGrath will take on the Mile. Finn Diver (Mile), Conall Rogers (800m), Claire Crowley (800m, 3000m) and Una Brice (Pole Vault) are also entered.

After her Northern Irish record-breaking 7.25 (60m) last weekend, Lauren Roy is entered for both the 60m and the 200m at the Stan Scott Invite in Lubbock. Lucy-May Sleeman is entered for the 60 at Orange & Purple Invitational in Clemson, where Nicole Dinan is on the 800m startlist.

Elizabeth Ndudi (Long Jump) will open her season at the Fighting Illini Challenge in Champaign. Sean Aigboboh (200m, 60m), Victoria Amiadamen (400m) and Finn O'Neill (60m Hurdles, Shot Put) are due to compete at the Ted Nelson Invitational in College Station.

Ava O’Connor, Louis O’Loughlin, Oisín Lynch and Claragh Keane are all on the mile startlists for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Invitational at altitude in Albuquerque. Oisín Ó Gailín is also due to take on the altitude, for him over 3000m at the Colorado Invite in Boulder.

Charlie O'Donovan (mile) and Jack Fenlon (3000m) are due to compete at Penn Elite in Philadelphia. Finn Boyle (800m), Seán Cronin (800m), Sean Lawton (5000m) and Muireann Duffy (5000m) are entered for the Dr. Sander Invitational in New York.

Others due to compete for their colleges on Saturday and/or Sunday include Heather Murphy (3000m, Hokie Invitational), Cian Crampton (Weight Throw, Crossroads of America Invitational), Lucas Fadden (200m, Larry Wieczorek Invitational), Danny Hagen (60m Hurdles, 200m, LSU Bayou Bengal), Alexandra Joyce (Mile, Mark Colligan Memorial), and both Ashleigh McArdle (High Jump, 60m Hurdles, Long Jump) and Roisin Treacy (Mile) at the Notre Dame Invitational.

And finally…

In addition to the senior athletes mentioned above, Emily Bolton, Eimear Cooney, Sophia Thompson, Lorcan Forde Dunne and Liam Morris will compete in the Junior mile events at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday.

A small number of other athletes, including Oisin Murray, Jennifer O'Leary, Lorraine O'Connor (all 1500m) and Diarmuid Fagan (3000m), will compete at the BMC meeting in Cardiff on Sunday.

After a successful European Championships and two fourths at the Olympics in 2024, and a 2025 season which brought European Indoor, World Indoor, World Championship, European Cross Country, European 10,000m cup, European U20, European U23 and World University medals for Irish athletes, it's difficult not to get carried away.

Irish Athletics has clearly arrived, and 2026 will again provide plenty of opportunities for current stars to add more silverware, for new stars to make a breakthrough, and for the long-time injured to remind us of their existence.

For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic derailed the 2020 season, there won't be a global outdoor championship. But worry not; the new World Athletics Ultimate Championships, which will round out the season, aims to ensure that the World's top athletes will still compete against each other in 2026.

But even more exciting from an Irish perspective is the fact that both the European and the Commonwealth Games will take place just across the Irish Sea. There will be a third World Indoor Championships in three years, World Relays in Africa for the first time, World U20 Championships in Eugene, and European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade at the end of the year, with plenty more in between.

Here’s a summary of the significant international athletics events due to take place across the year, the majority of which will feature Irish athletes.
 

World Cross Country Championships, Talahassee, USA, 10 Jan

The World Cross Country Championships head back to the US for the first time since 1992, the year that Catriona McKiernan won the first of her four consecutive silver medals in the Senior Women’s Race. Talahassee will play host to the first-ever January edition of the now-biannual event.

Four Irish athletes have been selected to compete in Talahassee, with a number of the top performers from the European Cross Country Championships heading indoors, or taking on the Valencia 10km in an attempt to qualify for the European Championships in August.

Fiona Everard, Niamh Allen and Brian Fay, who have all finished 10th at recent editions of Euro Cross will participate in the senior races while Noah Harris will be the sole Irish U20 representitive.

Event website
Athletics Ireland selection policy
 

European Throwing Cup, Nicosia, CYP, 14-15 Mar

The indoor season won’t even have concluded by the time the top throwers open their 2025 campaigns at the European Throwing Cup in Nicosia, the site of unprecedented Irish throwing success in 2025.

After two consecutive silver medals in the U23 Hammer, Nicola Tuthill took gold at the 2025 edition. A move up to senior level shouldn't daunt the athlete who reached the World Championship final in Tokyo. 

Anna Gavigan (silver, U23 discus) and Oisín Joyce (bronze, U23 javelin) also won medals at the 2024 edition, and both are again eligible for the U23 category in 2025. Others who may make the trip are Conor Cusack (Javelin) who had a breakthrough 2025, Niamh Fogarty who broke the long-standing national discus record and Eric Favors who made another global championships in the shot put.

Event information
Athletics Ireland selection policy
Irish Athletes who have achieved consideration standards
 

World Indoor Championships, Kujawy Pomorze-Toruń, POL, 20-22 Mar

The 21st World Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in Toruń, in the Polish Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship from 20 to 22 March.

The 2025 edition saw Ireland win its first medal in 19 years as Kate O'Connor took silver in the women's pentathlon. With no global outdoor championship in 2026 - the first time since 2020 that there won't be a World or Olympic outdoor Championships - this may well be a competitive event, and medals may be even more difficult to come by.

Qualification will be based on entry standards, with any remaining places to fill quota based on the Top Performances list during the qualification window (1st November 2025 to 8th March 2026).

Each country can have two athletes per event, plus a Wild Card where applicable. Wild Cards will be allocated to 2026 World Indoor Tour winners. There is no entry standard for relays; any nation can enter a team.

Event website
Athletics Ireland selection policy
Qualification status of Irish athletes
 

World Race Walking Team Championships, Brazilia, BRA, 14 Apr

In April 2026, the World Race Walking Team Championships will take place in South America for the very first time. The Brazilian capital will also host the first championship event to feature walks at the half marthon and marathon distances.

Oisin Lane, who finished 28th in the 35km Walk at the World Championships in Tokyo, and David Kenny, who finished 11th over 20km at the European Race Walking Cup last spring, are likely to lead any Irish team that is selected.

Event website
Athletics Ireland selection policy
Irish athletes who have achieved consideration standards
 

World Relays, Gaborone, BOT, 2-3 May

The World Relays head to Africa for the first time in 2026. With no global championships to qualify for in 2026, it's unclear what role the World Relays will play in the overall calendar, and whether or not Athletics Ireland will send a team.

There will also be smaller fields than in last year's edition, with just 24 federations in each event. The top 8 teams from the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo have qualified. The host nation is also guaranteed a spot in each event. Remaining places will be allocated based on the top list during the qualification period (1st Januray 2025 to 5rh April 2026).

At the end of the 2025 track season, Ireland sit in qualificaiton spots for the Women's 4x400m, Women's 4x100m and Mixed 4x400m relays.

Event info
Athletics Ireland selection policy
Road to Garborone
 

European 10,000m Cup, La Spezia, ITA, 23 May

La Spezia in Italy will host the European 10,000m Cup. There will be A and B races in both men’s and women’s categories, with athletes seeded according to prior accomplishments. The addition of pacemakers allows athletes to avail of a rare opportunity to chase personal bests and championship qualification standards while surrounded by athletes of a similar ability.

Efrem Gidey won Ireland's first ever European 10,000m cup medal when he took the men's title in Pacé last year.

Event website
Athletics Ireland Selection Policy
 

European Off-Road Running Championships, Ljubljana-Kamnik, SLO, 5-7 Jun

The 3rd edition of the European Off-Road Championships will traverse the stunning landscape of the Kamnik–Savinja Alpine region in Slovenia.

The elites will compete over Uphill and Classic (up and down) Mountain races and a 52km trail race. Like with the inaugural European Running Championships, the event will be open to mass participants. 

Event website
 

Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, GBR, 27 Jul - 1 Aug

Having picked up a silver medal at the last edition in Birmingham four years ago, Kate O'Connor, should she choose to compete, would head to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with clear medal expectations. Olympic medallist and two-time World Champion Katrina Johnson-Thompson would be her most likely rival for the Hepathlon title.

Other Northern Irish athletes who have already hit consideration standards are Nick Griggs (mile and 5000m), Callum Morgan (5000m) and Anna McCauley (Hepathlon). Others will look to secure their spot before the 14 June deadline.

Event website
Athletes who have achieved consideration standards
 

World U20 Championships, Eugene, USA, 5-9 Aug

The World U20 Championships will head to the Americas for the 3rd consecutive edition, having been held in Colombia in 2024 and Peru in 2021. The USA (also Eugene) last hosted this event in 2014.

Irish athletes have won just 5 medals at previous editions of the World Junior/U20 Championships: High Jump silver medals for Antoine Burke (1994) and Sommer Lecky (2018), 1500m silver for Ciara Mageean in 2010; Javelin bronze for Oisín Joyce at the last edition, and 4x100m silver for Molly Scott, Ciara Neville, Gina Akpe-Moses, Patience Jumbo-Gula, Rhasidat Adeleke in 2018.

European U20 Champion Conor Kelly (400m), who competed in Lima, is still young enough for the 2026 edition. Others that could potentially make the cut are European U20 finalists Cian Crampton (Discus), Theo Hanlon (Shot Put) and Dubem Amah (200m).

Event website
 

European Championships, Birmingham, GBR, 10-16 Aug

The European Athletics Championships will be held in Birmingham from 10 to 16 August 2026, marking the first time that the Championships will be held in the UK. Ireland had their most successful European Championships two years ago in Rome, with medals for Ciara Mageean (gold, 1500m), Rhasidat Adeleke (silver, 400m), the mixed 4x400m relay (gold) and the women's 4x400m (silver).

Kate O'Connor (Hepathlon), Cian McPhillips (800m) and Sarah Healy (1500m) are likely to also be among those in contention. Others to achieve the automation qualification standards before the end of the 2025 season are Israel Olatunde (100m), Sharlene Mawdsley (400m), Mark English (800m), Sophie O'Sullivan (1500m), Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs (both 5000m), Efrem Gidey (10,000m), Sarah Lavin (100m Hurdles), Nicola Tuthill (Hammer Throw), David Kenny (Half Marathon Walk) and Oisin Lane (Marathon Walk). Five of the six relay teams are also sitting in quota spots at the end of 2025, suggesting that this could be one of the biggest Irish teams ever at an international championship.

It's also likely to attract the biggest ever flock of Irish supporters.

Event website
Athletics Ireland Selection Policy
Qualification status of Irish athletes
 

World Athletics Ultimate Championships, Budapest, HUN, 11-13 Sep

The Ultimate Championships is a brand new competition which will run in the years where there is no World Championship and will close out the season. The first edition will take place in Budapest in September 2026. 

Proudly representing their countries and competing for the largest prize pot in track and field, only the world's very best athletes win the right to compete.

Automatic qualifiers include 2024 Olympic Champions, 2025 World Athletics Champions and 2026 Diamond League winners. The best performers of 2026 based on the World Ranking qualification system will complete the remainder of the spots (16 in individual events; 8 in relays).

There is no limit on how many athletes from a single country can qualify. While we won't know Irish qualifiers until much closer to the date (none have qualified automatically), only Cian McPhillips (800m) and Sarah Healy (3000m) would have made the initial cut in 2025.

Event website
 

World Road Running Championships, Copenhagen, DEN, 19-20 Sep

No Irish athlete has ever won a medal at either the World Road Running Championships or its precursor, the World Half Marthon Championships. While it's unrealistic to expect that to change in 2026, the fact that the Irish half marathon record was broken here in both 2024 (Efrem Gidey) and 2025 (Fearghal Curtin), would appear a good omen for Irish road runners.

Championship medals will also be contested over the mile and 5km, in a city renowned for fast times.

Event website
 

European Cross Country Championships, Belgrade, SRB, 13 Dec

The European Cross Country Championships will return to Friendship Park in Belgrade on 13th December 2026, the site of the 2013 event and the 2024 World Cross Country Championships. Irish athletes will be hoping for more medals, having won silverware at each of the past six editions. Nick Griggs is young enough to defend his U23 title, as will three of his title-winning teammates. Emma Hickey has three more years in the U20 category where she won bronze in 2025. And the senior men will likely be looking to upgrade their team silver from last year.

Event website

To say that 2025 has been a record-breaking year for Irish athletics is an understatement. With several Irish records broken, World and European medals won indoors and out, and curses broken, it was a memorable year for many.

Irish athletes won 25 International medals, from European Youth Olympics right up to World Senior Championships, this year. While there have never been as many international events at which athletes can win medals, this still makes 2019 (14 medals) and 2005 (13 medals) look mediocre years. As recently as 2016, Irish athletes won just three medals on the international stage. There were no international medals at all for Irish athletes in 1996.

Years, too, have passed in which no national senior records were broken. This year, the record books have been comprehensively rewritten.

Here we share some of the data and quirky statistics behind the 2025 season of dreams.

Championship success

After hitting the crossbar at the previous two editions, Irish athletes won not one, but three medals at the European Indoor Championships, courtesy of Sarah Healy (gold, 3000m), Mark English (bronze, 800m) and Kate O’Connor (bronze, Pentathlon).

Irish athletes have twice before won three medals at a European Indoor Championships (2009 and 2013), but on both occasions, all three medals were bronze. Healy is Ireland’s first female champion at this event. English’s medal took his European championship haul to five (a silver and two bronze indoors, two bronze outdoors).

Just two weeks later, O’Connor won Ireland’s first World Indoor medal in 18 years when she finished second in the pentathlon in Nanjing.

If the European Indoors didn’t indicate that 2025 was going to be a very good one for Irish athletes, then a small event in Nicosia a week later provided additional evidence that at least the nerdiest of athletics enthusiasts will have taken notice of. Five athletes travelled to the Cypriot capital for the European Throwing Cup, and three won medals.

After two consecutive silvers in the U23 Hammer, Nicola Tuthill won gold, Anna Gavigan took silver in the U23 Discus, while 2024 World U20 medallist Oisín Joyce won bronze in the U23 Javelin, placing Ireland equal third on the medal table, behind Germany and Italy. The five aforementioned medals are the only ones ever won by Irish athletes at an event held annually since 2001.

Sophie O’Sullivan (1500m) became the fifth Irish female to win an NCAA Track and Field title. Herself and Sonia O’Sullivan became the first Irish mother/daughter pairing to do so. And speaking of mother-daughter duos, NCAA 800m champion Roisin Willis (USA) is the daughter of 2000 Irish Olympian Breda Dennehy-Willis.

Efrem Gidey became not just the first Irish athlete to win a European 10,000m cup title, but the first to win a medal of any colour at this event. 

Four Irish athletes won five medals at the European U23 Championships, the most ever won by an Irish team at this event (two was the previous best return). In winning the 10,000m, Anika Thompson became only the second Irish athlete to win gold at this level (after O’Sullivan’s 1500m win in 2023), and she became the first Irish athlete to win more than one European U23 medal at a single edition when she added bronze in the 5000m three days later.

In winning silver in the 5000m, Nick Griggs brought his tally of individual European underage medals (track and field and cross country) to six (at the time). He also has three European Cross Country team medals.

O’Connor won Ireland’s fifth World University title in Germany (the previous champions are Ronnie Delaney, Sonia O’Sullivan, Niall Bruton and Thomas Barr). None of the eight athletes who competed for Ireland in 2025 finished outside the top 12.

Twenty athletes competed in individual events at the World Championships in Tokyo. They, along with two relay teams, made a total team of 27, the largest ever to represent the country at a World Championships (the athletics team for the Sydney Olympics, where 32 athletes competed, is the largest Ireland has ever sent to a global Championships).

The silver medal won by O’Connor in Tokyo is only the seventh ever won by an Irish athlete, and is the first in an event that isn’t either a middle distance race or a racewalk. O’Connor’s medal was also Ireland’s first global senior outdoor medal (World Championships or Olympics) since 2013.

In winning bronze in Lagoa, Emma Hickey became Ireland's first ever U20 medallist - team or individual - at the European Cross Country Championships (Linda Byrne, the only Irish athlete to have ever finished top 10 in all three age categories, finished 4th U20 in 2005, and the team finished 4th in both 2025 and 2008).

Nick Griggs became Ireland's most successful athlete at this Championship when he added U23 Individual and Team titles to the six medals (three individual and three team) he'd won at the previous four editions. He became Ireland's first male individual champion, and the first Irish athlete to win an underage title (the other three individual titles have all come in the senior women's race via Catriona McKiernan in 1994 and Fionnuala McCormack in 2011 and 2012). Griggs, Callum Morgan, Niall Murphy, Jonas Stafford and Loughaidh Mallon, won Ireland's third Men's U23 team title.

The senior men ended a twenty-five-year drought when they won team silver. Brian Fay and Cormac Dalton, who were both on the teams that finished fourth in Dublin (2021) and Brussels (2023), were joined by Jack O'Leary (Ireland's second-highest ever finisher in the senior men's race), Darragh McElhinney and Efrem Gidey.

Breaking actual records

O’Connor broke the national indoor Pentathlon record twice and the Heptathlon record twice. She has added 899 points to the latter since it was last held by someone else (Elizabeth Morland, 5815, 2018). Morland and O’Connor both competed at the European Junior Championships in Grosseto in 2017, where Morland finished fifth, in a then National senior record of 5801, and O’Connor, then just 16, finished eighth.

English broke the indoor 800m record twice and the outdoor record three times, before Cian McPhillips went on to break the latter twice in Tokyo. Together, they knocked 2.38 seconds off English’s previous mark from 2024, with English becoming the first Irish athlete to break 1:44 and McPhillips the first to break 1:43.

The Irish marathon record, previously held by Stephen Scullion, was broken three times in 12 months (Hiko Tonosa, 27 Oct 2024; Peter Lynch, April 2025; Fearghal Curtin, 18 October). Curtin’s time, subject to ratification, also betters John Treacy’s 1988 performance of 2:09:15 in Boston (no longer a record-eligible course), as the fastest time all conditions by an Irish man.

The Half Marathon record also received multiple revisions in the past 12 months. The record set by Gidey in September 2024 (1:00:51) was equalled by Tonosa in January, before being broken by Curtin in September (1:00:22).

Bori Akinola ran the fastest all-conditions 100m by an Irish man in London in June (10.10w; +2.9), before Israel Olatunde bettered that with a wind-legal 10.08, also in London, in September.

The men’s 4x100m squad of Michael Farrelly, Akinola, Marcus Lawler & Olatunde bettered the 25-year-old national record in Geneva in mid-June, before a slightly altered squad (Sean Aigboboh in for Akinola) went on to better it at the European Team Championships just a week later.

Niamh Fogarty broke one of the longest-standing records in the books (only Marita Walton-Lanigan’s shot put record from 1982 has stood for longer on the women’s side) when she launched the discus 58.40 metres in Romona, Oklahoma on 27th April, bettering Patricia Walsh’s mark from 1984.

Healy and Coscoran were on record-breaking rampages early in the Indoor season. Healy set new marks at 1500m before twice bettering her own 3000m record, while Coscoran ran new marks at 1500m, mile and 3000m. His mile time from the Millrose Games was also faster than the outright mile record.

Gidey broke both the 10,000m and 10km records. He knocked more than 12 seconds off Alistair Cragg’s 2007 mark in the former. In the latter, he shaved 3 seconds off Treacy’s mark from 1985.

In addition to the above, Diarmuid O’Connor set a new indoor Heptathlon record, while the women’s 4x100m team set a new mark outdoors.

Irish records

On the circuit

Sarah Healy became just the third Irish athlete – after Ciara Mageean and Rhasidat Adeleke - to win a Diamond League race when she won over 1500m in Rome on 6th June. She also finished in the top three in Rabat, where she ran 8:27.02 for 3000m and edged closer to Sonia O’Sullivan’s 31-year-old national record; in Rome, where she narrowly missed out on another 1500m win, and in London, where she ran 4:16.26 for the mile. She finished eighth in the final in Zurich.

In total, six athletes (Adeleke, Brian Fay, Cathal Doyle, Healy, English and Coscoran), competed in Diamond Disciplines at Diamond League meetings this summer, compared to eight last year. Healy was the only one to qualify for the Diamond League final.

Shauna Bosquet and Orla Comerford competed in para-athletics events held as part of the Diamond League programmes, with Comerford taking wins in the mixed category 100m in Stockholm and Eugene. It was at the Diamond League in London that the women’s 4x100m relay team broke the national record.

English won Continental Tour Gold meetings in Bydgoszcz, Hengelo and Beijing, and finished 2nd in Budapest.

The other Irish athletes to compete at Continental Tour Gold level this summer were O’Sullivan, Fay, Sharlene Mawdsley, Doyle, Jodie McCann, Coscoran, Sarah Lavin and Darragh McElhinney. In total, 11 athletes competed across the two top divisions of circuit meetings.

There was a World Indoor Tour Gold win for Coscoran (3000m, New Balance Boston), who also won the 3000m and finished 2nd overall in the Men’s Long-Distance category at the Miami Grand Slam Track meeting.

Top lists

With so many national records being set, and numerous athletes achieving number two all-time status, the national leads look mightily impressive at the end of the season, especially when, as we’ve done, indoor and outdoor performances are combined.

While many of those holding the national leads at the end of the season are unsurprising, a couple are less obvious.

Adeyemi Talabi was the fastest Irish woman over 100m this season, and Lucy-May Sleeman was the second fastest. With both calling an end to their season in June after a busy NCAA season, neither featured on the team which broke the 4x100m record in July.

The Irish women’s 100m all-time list had a major update in the space of just 24 hours in May as Talabi moved to 5th, Sleeman to 6th and Lauren Roy to equal 10th.

Doyle’s 3:32.15 is the national leader over 1500m, as World Championship finalist Andrew Coscoran never bettered the 3:33.40 national indoor record he set in February. Doyle and Coscoran are among the few top Irish athletes who have not yet achieved the automatic standard for the European Championships in Birmingham next year.

National leads

Where they stand at the end of the day

McPhillips (800m), O'Connor (Heptathlon) and Gidey (10,000m) all end the 2025 season at the top of the European performance lists. Healy is second for both 1500m and 3000m. Based on World Rankings, both Healy (1500m) and O'Connor (Heptathlon) are top-ranked Europeans right now.

At World level, O’Connor is second on both the rankings and the performance (top) list. Others in the top 20 on the World Rankings are Healy (6th 1500m), English (12th 800m), McPhillips (14th 800m), Adeleke (15th 400m) and Tuthill (20th Hammer).

On the performance lists, Healy is 14th at 1500m, 3rd at the mile and 11th over 3000m. McPhillips was the 5th fastest in the world over 800m, while English was 20th. Coscoran was 11th fastest over 3000m.

National Championship statistics

At 153 consecutive editions, the Irish Senior Track and Field Championships continues to be the longest-running national championships in the world.

Kate Veale (5000m Walk) won her sixth consecutive title (and 11th in total). There was a fifth consecutive title for Lavin (her 10th national 100m hurdles title in total), Sean Mockler (Hammer), and Michael Healy (Weight for Distance). English also won his 10th Senior 800m title. Saragh Buggy, who has been peerless in the triple jump for nearly a decade, had her nine-year-win streak broken, reinforcing just how incredible Terry McHugh’s 21 consecutive javelin titles (1984-2004) are.

Indoors, Buggy won her ninth Triple Jump title, Michaela Walsh (Shot Put) and Veale (3000m Walk) each won an eight consecutive title, while David Kenny picked up a fifth consecutive title in the 5000m Walk. At the other end of the scale, 2005 is the last time someone successfully defended a pentathlon title, with 10 different winners in the last 10 editions.

The Men’s Cross Country championship has had a different winner in each of the last ten editions.

More fourths

The most shocking thing about the Irish success at the European U23 Championships was less that they won 5 medals, and more that nobody finished fourth.

Those who did finish 4th this year: Lavin (60m hurdles, European Indoors); Gidey (Half Marathon, European Road Running Championships); Matthew Newell (5000m Walk), Thomas Williams (Hammer) and the Women’s Sprint Medley Relay at European Youth Olympics; Jack Raftery (400m, World University Games), Precious Akpe-Moses (200m, European U20 Championships) and McPhillips (800m, World Championships).

Other random facts and figures

In finishing 9th in the Marathon in Tokyo, five-time Olympian Fionnuala McCormack achieved her highest ever placing at a global event. Her second highest, 11th place in the steeplechase in Osaka, came 18 years ago. McCormack has now represented Ireland 46 times at senior championships. She only needs two more appearances to draw level with Terry McHugh, Ireland’s most capped athlete.

Five Irish athletes (Healy, English, Lavin, Becker and Coscoran) completed the Tokyo-to-Tokyo track and field streak (i.e. competed in the two Olympic Games, three World Championships and two European Championships from Tokyo 2020 to Tokyo 2025, inclusive).

After the fifth round of the hammer final at the World University Games in Germany, Tuthill was in the silver medal position with a best of 68.46m. Eighteen years earlier, Eileen O’Keefe won World University Games silver in the hammer with a best of 68.46m. Tuthill improved to 69.98m in the final round, securing the silver medal but undoing what would have been the stat of the year.

McPhillips’ 800m run in the World Championship final earned him 1532 World Ranking points (1262 for the time and 270 for placing 4th), the most achieved by an Irish athlete since the World Rankings were introduced in 2020. However, Coscoran’s indoor mile time, worth 1273 points on the World Athletics tables, is the best scoring performance ever by an Irish athlete.

English has competed at seven consecutive World Championships (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025); all at 800m. Phil Healy has competed at five consecutive European indoor Championships. Cormac Dalton and Danielle Donegan completed the Portugal to Portugal Euro Cross Country streak, having completed in all six editions from Lisbon 2019 to Lagoa in 2025.

Brian Fay became the first Irishman to finish top 10 in the senior men's race at Euro Cross on more than one occasion. He just pipped Cormac Dalton, who finished 11th in Lagoa, to that particular honour. Anna Gardiner competed in the U20 race at Euro Cross for the fourth time, the first Irish athlete, we believe, to do so. Emma Hickey not only won Wexford's first medal at Euro Cross, but we also believe that she is the first Wexford athlete to ever compete at the event (Wexford athletes have competed at World Cross in the past).

The 2:12:11 run by Paul O'Donnell in finishing 3rd (behind David McGlynn 2:11:01 and Ryan Creech 2:11.46) at this year’s Dublin Marathon is the fastest time ever needed to make the men’s national championship podium.

What next?

2025 has been a record-breaking year on many fronts. With World Indoor Championships, European Championships, Commonwealth Games, and many other events due to take place, 2026 could see more silverware coming the way of Irish athletes.

Twenty-five medals in 2025 has a very nice ring to it, and while hoping or expecting 26 in the year ahead might be a bit too optimistic, one can't help but feel that this is just the beginning of a golden era of Irish athletics.

We’ll keep you informed of who has achieved standards and who sits within quota for the various events, who wins medals, and what records are broken. But we also hope to inform you of some of the less obvious achievements and statistics.

References: The information in this article has been compiled using competition results and data from the World Athletics rankings and toplists; the Athletics Ireland toplists and roll of honour documents, and various other online sources.

Original article published 1 Nov 2025; updated 23 Dec to include the European Cross Country Championships results and statistics.

Many of Ireland’s top cross country athletes will be battling for national glory and Euro Cross berths in Templemore, Co Derry, on Sunday, while others will be competing against the best college athletes in the United States on Friday and Saturday.

Even when accounting for athletes whose clubs may have entered them out of hope rather than expectation, both the men’s and women’s fields for Templemore look pretty competitive. The U23 battles within the senior contests should add further spice to the not-to-be-missed races.

Ten in a row, anyone?

Last year’s champion Keelan Kilrehill is the one notable absentee from the men’s entries, meaning that only Darragh McElhinney, the 2022 champion, and Cormac Dalton, the winner in 2023, stand in the way of making it 10 different winners of the men’s National Cross Country title in as many editions.

Neither McElhinney nor Dalton will bow to such a niche statistic when they toe the line on Sunday, and both should be among those contesting the medals.

Among those looking to continue the streak are Nick Griggs, keen to win his first national senior title on any surface; Brian Fay, who, like Dalton, has a Euro Cross Top 10 finish to his name; European 10,000m Cup winner Efrem Gidey; Callum Morgan, who looked sublime when winning the Autumn International in October; and a resurgent Jack O’Leary.

Paul O’Donnell, Pierre Murchan and William Fitzgerald, who have also made the senior men’s team for Euro Cross in recent years, are also entered, as are Tokyo Olympian Stephen Scullion and recent national marathon champion David McGlynn.

Niall Murphy, who had the race of his life to finish second last year, will be back to defend his U23 title, but to do so he will again need to overcome Griggs and Morgan. Cathal O’Reilly, who finished 8th overall last year, is also still under U23 this year.

Wide open women’s race

As in the men’s race, the women’s race has lacked a consistent winner in recent years, with seven different winners in the past seven editions. The two most recent winners - Fiona Everard (2023) and Ann-Marie McGlynn (2024) - will look to change that.

Another previous winner on the startlist is Michelle Finn (2021), one of six Olympians entered, who has missed a year through injury.

Also entered is last year’s runner-up Niamh Allen, who went on to finish 10th in Antalya. Indeed, there’s a chance that all six from last year’s team compete again for places, with Dannielle Donegan, Mary Mulhare and Cheryl Nolan also entered.

Roisin Flanagan and Eilish Flanagan have both made the team on multiple previous occasions, and are also both entered to compete on Sunday.

Jodie McCann, Laura Nicholson and Eimear Maher, all better known as track athletes, will likely be hoping that an Irish mixed relay team is selected after an absence from the last two editions.

The first three in the U20 and Senior races in Derry will gain automatic selection for Lagoa, while the top two in the U23 categories will also be rewarded with Euro Cross selection. The Athletics Ireland selection policy suggests that they will select further athletes, up to a maximum of five in each event (it’s worth noting that the sixth qualifier for both the Senior and U23 men’s teams last year made the scoring three in Antalya!), leaving the door open for some of the athletes racing in the US this weekend to also be selected.

Across the Atlantic…

While the final lineup won’t be confirmed until the race starts, there could be as many as nine Irish athletes competing in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday.

Abdel Laadjel won the Big Ten Conference title three weeks ago, and helped the Oregon men gain an automatic spot for the ‘big dance’ last Friday. European U23 10,000m champion Anika Thompson helped the Oregon women qualify, and should start on Saturday.

Anna Gardiner, Cara Laverty, Niamh O'Mahony and Jane Buckley will all feature on the Providence team, which finished 2nd at the North East Region qualifier. Gardiner and Laverty were particularly impressive that day, finishing sixth and seventh individually. Gardiner is still an U20 for Euro Cross, while Laverty, like Thompson, is eligible for the U23 race.

Twenty-four-year-old Matthew Neill was also seventh at regionals and is likely to start for Syracuse. Dean Casey (Colorado) and Billy Coogan (Iona) may also run.

Eleven Irish athletes raced last year, with Casey (30th) and Thompson (32nd) the top Irish finishers. Keith Kelly was the last Irish individual winner of this prestigious event back in 2000.

Adams State will again be medal contenders at NCAA Division II Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Saturday. European U23 and World University Games steeplechase finalist Ava O’Connor and Wexford woman Claragh Keane are among their likely starters.

On Friday, Heather Murphy (Montreat), who competed in the 10,000m at the European U23 Championships earlier this year, will be among the Irish racing at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships.

And next...

The Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships is due to be selected by Tuesday, 25th November. The event will take place in Lagoa, Portugal, on 14th December. Selections for the World Cross Country Championships - set for Talahassee, Florida on 10th January - will be made following the continental decider.

The IUAA University Cross champions will be decided in Dublin this Saturday, while the World Championships will be held in early January for the very first time. Here’s what we might expect from the three-month-long, action-packed cross country season.

Intervarsity Cross Country Championships, Dublin, Saturday 11th October 2025

In its new October home, entries for the IUAA Intervarsity Cross Country Championships are likely to be affected by an Athletics Ireland endurance camp currently taking place in Font Romeu. That said, universities from across the island will bring colour and enthusiasm to Tymon Park, and up-and-coming athletes will seize the opportunity to shine.

Pierre Murchan (TCD), Callum Morgan (QUB) and Niall Murphy (UL) took the individual honours in the men's race last year while University of Galway won the team title. Fiona Everard (University of Galway), Amy Greene (DCU) and Hannah Gilliland (QUB) won the individual medals in the women's race, while DCU took the team title just two points ahead of UCC.

The women's race on Saturday, which kicks off at 2pm, will be followed shortly after by the men at 2.30pm.

Autumn Cross Country and National Cross Country relays, Dublin, 18 October 2025

While many of the big names will likely skip this one, among the current entries for the senior races at the Autumn International Cross Country - which have not closed at the time of writing - are 2023 National Champion Fiona Everard and Euro Cross Country U23 and Senior representatives Cathal O’Reilly, William Fitzgearld, Micheál Power and Callum Morgan.

Athletes from Loughborough and Cambridge make up the international challenge this year, with last year’s winner Sophie Tarver expected to lead the way.

Entries for the National Senior Cross Country relay, which open the programme, include a host of Irish middle distance talent, including 2024 Olympian Jodie McCann, senior international Pierre Murchan, and European U23 1500m medallist Eimear Maher. There should be an exciting battle between Dublin City Harriers and Dundrum South Dublin for the title.

Competitive trials for the Masters’ Cross Country International and the National Juvenile relays will add to the atmosphere of the event in Abbotstown, which always looks splendid at this time of year.

The NCAA season, various

The US collegiate season is already underway, but the climax of the season very much coincides with the main events on Irish soil. The last big meets before conference championships take place next weekend, with the Nuttycombe Invitational and other events likely to include Irish interest.

The majority of the Division I Conference Championships take place on 31st October and 1st November, with nine Regional qualifiers on 14th November deciding the teams and individuals who will make it to the ‘big dance’ on 22nd November.

Twelve Irish athletes competed in the NCAA Division I Nationals last year, with Dean Casey 30th in the men's race and Anika Thompson 32nd in the women's race. Both are eligible to compete again this year.

A number of Irish athletes compete for Division II schools, and may earn a spot at Euro Cross via their performance at the Division II Nationals, also on 22nd November.

Irish National Cross Country Championships, Derry, 23 November 2025

The National Championships head to Ulster for the third time in four years as Derry plays host to the battle for national titles and the much-coveted spots on the European Cross Country team.

The first three in the U20 and Senior races will gain automatic selection for Lagoa, while the top two in the U23 categories will also be rewarded with Euro Cross selection.

But there are also national titles on the line. Keelan Kilrehill and Ann-Marie McGlynn are reigning senior champions, while Niall Murphy and Emma McEvoy, who took the U23 titles in 2024, are both young enough to defend their titles, as is Lucy Foster in the U20 category. Jonas Stafford, who made the U20 team three years in a row, moves up to what could be a very competitive men’s U23 category.

There have been nine different winners of the Senior men’s title in the past nine editions, Among those trying to make that 10 different winners in a row is Nick Griggs, an U23 in search of his first National senior title on any surfaces. The 2023 champions Cormac and Fiona Everard are others likely to be in contention in the senior races.

Club champions will also be decided, with the top two teams in U20 and Senior categories earning the right to represent Ireland at the European Clubs Cross Country in February.

Other domestic championships, various

Dublin Championships, Leinster and Munster Senior Championships, plus the Connaught Senior League will take place between the Autumn Cross Country and the National Cross Country Championships. The Ulster and Northern Ireland Senior Championships will be held in early February. Athletes with eligibility will also have the opportunity to race Novice and Intermediate championships, the later which will be held alongside the National Masters Championships in February.

European Cross Country Championships, Lagoa (Portugal), 14th December 2025

Having finished 4th in Dublin in 2021 and in Brussels in 2023, could 2025 finally be the year that the current generation of Irish senior men win Euro Cross team medals? Having finished second in both the U20 race (2022) and the U23 race (2024), is it time for Nick Griggs to finally win a European Cross Country title? These are just some of the questions that will be answered in the Algarve on Sunday 14th December.

The European Cross Country Championships is the pinnacle of the cross country season for most of the continent’s athletes. Indeed, for some, it will be their only cross country race of the year. The event has become a happy hunting ground for Irish athletes, and silverware has been brought home every edition since Portugal last hosted the event in 2019.

While Griggs, second in the U23 race, was the only Irish medallist in Antalya two years ago, the U23 men's team finished 4th, with all three scorers young enough to compete again this year, and the U23 women weren't a million miles from a medal either.

It appears that Ireland will send teams in all the individual races. Depending on who is available, there is also the possibility of an Irish mixed relay team. The team will be announced after the final selections are made on 25 November.

World Cross Country Championships, Talahassee FL (USA), 10th January 2026

The World Cross Country Championships will be held in January for the first time. In what seems like an attempt to maintain some interest in World Athletics’ once flagship endurance event, the global event will fall just four weeks after the continental championships.

While the Athletics Ireland selection policy has not yet been published, it’s expected that results at the National Championships in November and the European Championships in December will determine the size and composition of Ireland’s team for Tallahassee.

Eight athletes, including Fiona Everard, Danielle Donegan, Keelan Kilrehill and Hugh Armstrong in the senior races, made the journey to Belgrade for the last edition in 2024. The timing in the calendar, plus the location of the event, may mean enough athletes available to justify full senior teams.

World Cross Country Tour and other international competitions

World Cross Country Tour events take place across Europe - with a few races also in Africa - right throughout the season. Efrem Gidey and Cormac Dalton are among the Irish who have used World Tour events to sharpen up for Euro Cross in recent seasons.

While most of the events fall too close to National and European Championships for Irish athletes, some may appear at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on 8th November and one or two other events across the winter.

The European Clubs Cross Country Championship will be held in February.

A small number of Irish athletes have eligibility to compete in English (and other home nation) championships and the British University (BUCS) Championships, thereby extending their cross country seasons well into the spring.

English National is always worth a watch, especially the start of the Senior Men’s race, which sometimes includes as many as 2000 starters, and the British University championships does its best to replicate the colour and team rivalry of its US equivalent, albeit usually on a muddier course!

There’s plenty to look forward to over the next few months. Expect mud, sweat, tears, and a few surprises.

The final weekend. The last few days. After more than a year, The Road to Tokyo is coming to an end.

For many Irish athletes still competing at this point in the season, Tokyo spots have long ago been secured. Others are racing still for season’s bests and personal goals; the World Championships never was their main focus.

For a much smaller group, this weekend will be a nail-biting climax to the regular season, as they either make one last effort to secure a quota spot, or sit at home hoping that others don’t take theirs.

Being one of the designated national championship windows, there were never going to be many high-ranking meetings this weekend, but Diamond League meetings on Wednesday and Friday keep things interesting, and a number of athletes, maybe even a few Irish ones, are making a last-dash attempt to hit standards at Category F meetings in Tooting Bec and Pfungstadt.

The Scottish Championships provides an opportunity for some of the field eventers to end the season on a high. And the autumn road season is set to ignite in Larne.

Diamond Leagues in Lausanne and Brussels

Brian Fay, currently sitting precariously just inside the quota spots for Tokyo, is racing the Lausanne Diamond League this evening (Wednesday). Not only will he be hoping for a strong performance and a ranking improvement, but he’ll be hoping that none of his Road to Tokyo rivals run fast enough and finish high enough to overtake him.

The good news for Fay is that, apart from half a dozen national championship events on Sunday, this is the last opportunity before Sunday’s deadline for athletes to improve their 5000m ranking.

Lausanne will be shown live on Virgin Media Three from 7-9pm, Wed 20 Aug.

Andrew Coscoran, already qualified in the 1500m, and sitting a few places above Fay in the 5000m rankings, is on the startlist for the shorter distance at the Brussels Diamond League on Friday.

Concoran will be looking for a strong showing against a field that wouldn’t be too dissimilar to a World Championship semi-final.

Shauna Bocquet is due to race in the 400m wheelchair (T54).

Brussels will be shown live on Virgin Media Three from 7-9pm, Fri 22 Aug.

Last chance saloon in Tooting Bec

The British Milers Club (BMC) Record Breakers meeting in Tooting Bec, London, is but a Category F meeting. While lacking in potential World Ranking placing points, however, it offers fast-paced races and, for some, a final shot at the Tokyo automatic standard.

While some, particularly in the Men’s steeplechase, will be gung-ho for the Tokyo time, others are simply looking for a final blowout before the World Championships, ending the season with a personal best, or ticking off the European standard for next year before signing off for the season.

Among the Irish on the entry list are Sarah Healy and Alex O’Neill in the Women’s A 800m, Nick Griggs, Shane Bracken and James Gormley in the Men’s A 1500m, and Laura Nicholson in the Women’s A 1500m.

Kevin McGrath, Callum Morgan, Lughaidh Mallon, Seán Donoghue, Nadine Donegan and Amy O'Donoghue are also set to compete over 1500m, while  John Travers is among the entries in the 3000m.

The event will be streamed on RunnerSpace+ Plus (subscription required) from 6.25pm, Wed 20 Aug

Final Call Tokyo

Final Call Tokyo by name, final call Tokyo by nature! Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs are among the athletes heading to Oslo on Saturday for a final crack at the 13.01 5000m Auto Q for Tokyo.

McElhinney is currently sitting one spot outside the quota spots, with a Diamond League wildcard still to be added, and no obvious withdrawals ahead of him. If he just misses the time (i.e. 13:02 or faster), but wins, there is still a chance that he would squeeze into a quota spot.

For Griggs, it is Auto Q or bust. Despite having the Athletics Ireland B standard in two events, if he doesn't run 13:01.00 or faster, he'll be watching Tokyo from home.

Another popular category F meeting

Similar to the BMC event in London, the Pfungstädter Abendsportfest this evening (Wednesday) has an entry list of a far higher standard than its Category F status suggests. Again, athletes are using the paced races as a final opportunity to hit a time target.

While there are no Irish athletes competing, the meeting may still be worth following. Startlists and live results can be viewed here.

Scottish Championships

Among the entries for the Scottish Open Championships on Saturday and Sunday are Long Jumpers Sam Healy, Lauren Callaghan and Ruby Millet, while John Kelly is entered in the Shot Putt. 

Molly Scott is among the entries in the 100m Hurdles, which also lists Cyréne Samba-Mayela (FRA), the Olympic silver medallist, and Jamaica's Chrisma Taylor, who has a best of 12.61 - a reflection, perhaps, of the relative shortage of races this weekend and in the run-up to Tokyo.

There will also be an Irish U17 development team competing at this event and Athletics Northern Ireland are sending some senior athletes, so keep an eye out for other Irish athletes in the results.

Niamh Fogarty is also expected to compete at the Danish National Championships over the weekend.

World’s best descend on Larne

Paul O’Donnell, Ryan Creech, David McGlynn, Niamh Allen and Nichola Sheridan are among the Irish athletes set to compete alongside some of the best distance runners in the world at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne on Sunday.

Geoffrey Kamworor, a multiple World Champion at both Half Marathon and Cross Country, and Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning World and Olympic 10,000m champion and World 5000m and 10,000m record holder, headline the men’s field.

Lilian Kasait is the fastest in a women’s field that also includes European Half Marathon Champion Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal.

The race will be shown live on Youtube.

The week got off to a good start, with Mark English breaking the 800m National Record in Budapest on Tuesday, while Darragh McElhinney moved to 5th on the Irish all-time list for 3000m at the same meeting.

The final dash for world ranking points and qualification spots is heating up, with just 10 days to grab one of those quota spots (or, hang on to one, depending on your point of view) or post an automatic qualification spot.

Those who have long had the qualification standards, but who’ve raced sparingly, will be looking for competition sharpness over the coming weeks. 

And with relay spots on the line, Irish 400m athletes will be looking to prove their fitness over the coming days.

Diamond League

Sarah Healy has finished in the top three in four of her five Diamond League appearances so far this year, and she’ll again be looking for a confidence-boosting run at the Silesia Diamond League on Saturday.

An Irish record time would do that nicely, but racing well against some of her rivals for Tokyo glory may be more important as she targets her first global outdoor final.

The event will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Play from 3-5pm.

CITIUS meeting

Sarah Lavin will race the 100m hurdles at the CITIUS meeting in Bern, Switzerland (Continental Tour Silver) on Saturday. 12.88 or faster would wrap up European Championship qualifiication for next year, and that's at least the sort of time Sarah will be looking to better as she builds towards Tokyo.

European Athletics will be streaming the event on their website from 4pm.

Belgian encore

Continental Tour meetings in Belgium have provided many breakthrough performances for Irish athletes over the year. And some will be hoping that Leuven, which hosts Meeting voor Mon on Saturday, will too see breakthrough performances for them.

The men’s 400m entries include Jack Raftery, Cillín Greene, Chris O'Donnell, Joe Doody, Callum Baird and Andrew Egan, while Aaron Keane is entered in the 200m and 300m.

The women’s 400m entries include Lauren Cadden, Arlene Crossan and Cliodhna Manning, though Cadden is also entered for Stratford on Sunday.

Laura Nicholson is currently just a few points short of a quota spot for Tokyo in the 1500m. A  top-three finish in 4:08 or faster, may be good enough to see her to her first major senior championships.

Nick Griggs is entered for the 1500m, where running sub 3:33.00 and bagging the Auto Q appears to be his only remaining opportunities to make Tokyo this year (unless he can get added to the Lausanne Diamond League 5000m). The Auto Q for Birmingham next year is 3:33.50.

Shane Bracken, Seán Donoghue and Philip Marron look to continue their strong seasons, also over 1500m. Callum Morgan, fresh from a 13:23.37 PB over 5000m is also entered for the 1500m, where he could become the 14th Irish man to run sub-3:40 this season.

Others looking for a dream climax to their season include Robert McDonnell (200m), Emma Moore (800m) and David Cussen (High Jump).

There is a free livestream which starts at 2pm.

Stratford speed

A number of Irish athletes are entered for the penultimate Stratford Speed meeting of the year, though it’s likely that not all will race.

While all of Ireland’s top 400m men will be in Belgium on Saturday, it appears that the female battle for possible Tokyo relay spots is split between there and east London. Kelly McGrory, who opened her season in Oordegem last week, the ever-improving Kate Doherty, and the aforementioned Lauren Cadden are among the entries.

Bori Akinola, Marcus Lawler, Paul Costelloe, Michael Farrelly, Sean Aigboboh, Molly Scott, Ciara Neville, Sarah Leahy, Ruby Millet and Orla Comerford are among the entries over the shorter distances.

There will be a free livestream.

Elsewhere

Phil Healy (400m), Michael Healy (Discus) and Seán Mockler (Hammer) are among the entries for the Leevale Open Sports on Sunday.

Barry Keane is among the entries for the Falmouth Road Race (7 miles) on Sunday.

As some of Europe’s top Under 20 Championships reach the climax of their seasons, senior athletes will be taking what could be a final shot at Tokyo qualification, while some of the province’s top talent will be on display at the Northern Ireland and Ulster Championships.

European Under 20 Championships

A team of 38 Irish athletes have travelled to Tampere in Finland for the European U20 Championships, where the male one-lap athletes will be particularly hopefully of medals. Conor Kelly is the fastest European U20 this year, and him and his teammates have also run the fastest 4x400m time in Europe this year.

Times, however, mean little at underage championships, where tactical nous and putting in a big performance on the day can lead to breakthrough performances and unexpected medals.

Either way, expect four action-packed days – all available to watch on Eurovision Sport.

Oordegem awaits

Saturday's IFAM Oordegem has a particularly strong entry – both from Ireland and further afield - for a Continental Tour Bronze meeting.

The men’s 5000m boasts 6 athletes with personal bests of 13 minutes or better – the ideal standard for Nick Griggs and Darragh McElhinney who are chasing Tokyo spots. That’s assuming they make it into the A race. Efrem Gidey, Cormac Dalton and Callum Morgan are also entered at this distance.

There is the chance of another head-to-head between Mark English and Cian McPhillips over 800m (English said after his win at Nationals on Sunday that he was heading back to altitude before worlds, but his name appeared on the entries here earlier this week).

Newly minted National 400m champion Sophie Becker (400m) is another whose name only appeared this week. Other one-lap entrants include Cliodhna Manning and three of the top four from the men’s race last Sunday (Chris O’Donnell, Ciarán Carthy and Andrew Egan).

Ciara Neville will be looking to build on recent momentum. She is entered for both the 100m and 200m, as is National 200m Champion Marcus Lawler.

Alex O’Neill (800m), Laura Nicholson (1500m) and Roisin Flanagan (5000m) all still have outside chances of making the team for Tokyo. Nicholson, who already has the Athletics Ireland B standard, will be looking for enough points to maintain her precarious spot within quota, while O’Neill and Flanagan first need to secure the respective standards of 2:01.00 and 15:22.00.

Seán Donoghue, Shane Bracken and Lughaidh Mallon are among those entered in the 1500m, a particularly strong event for the Irish men at the moment.

Other Continental Tour meetings

Irish athletes will be competing across a handful of other Continental Tour Bronze and Challenger meetings over the coming days.

Sarah Lavin (100m hurdles) is the sole Irish athlete on the startlists for the Serbia Athletics Meeting on Thursday where she will be looking for another positive performance.

National bronze medallist Andrew Thompson (800m) and Paralympian Greta Streimikyte (1500m) are among the Irish entrants for the final British Milers Club Grand Prix in Trafford on Saturday.

Brian Fay (3000m) is on the most recent startlist for the Folksam Grand Prix in Sollentuna on Sunday and Cathal Doyle will race the 1000m in Białystok (Poland) on Saturday.

Northern Irish and Ulster Senior Championships

While some are likely not to compete, entries for the Northern Ireland and Ulster Championships includes Sean Aigboboh (100m), Callum Baird (100m, 200m), Orla Comerford (100m, 200m), Sarah Leahy (100m), Kate O’Connor (200m, 100m hurdles), Rachel McCann (200m), Kate Doherty (400m), Anna McCauley (100m Hurdles, Long Jump), Lauren Callaghan (Long Jump), John Kelly (Shot Put) and Anna Gavigan (Discus Throw).

At close of play on Sunday, there will be just two weeks left in the Tokyo qualification window. Dreams could be very well made, or broken, this weekend.

Whether this will be a National Championships of the ages, only time will tell. But it’s certainly shaping up that way.

There are absences. That’s for sure. And a giant Thomas Barr-sized hole in the men’s 400m hurdles field. The timing, too, has made it difficult for U20 athletes, focusing on European U20s, and the US-based college athletes, who’ve been racing all season, to compete.

Despite some last-minute withdrawals, most of the recent championship medallists are expected to be there. The entry list also boasts nine current national senior outdoor record holders, and others who have their eyes firmly set on that particular prize. Indeed, a national record this weekend would not be completely beyond expectations.

And beyond the stars, there’s plenty else to interest casual and diehard athletics fans, including guaranteed first-time champions and others looking to extend their run of titles. Here is just some of what might grab your attention across two fierce days of competition.

The clash in the dash

Last year, the men’s 100m saw one of the closest finishes of the weekend. That Bori Akinola finished just 0.02 behind national record holder Israel Olatunde was then somewhat of a surprise. Even more so considering that Olatunde further reduced his record to 10.12 a few weeks later.

This year, not only would a close finish be much less of a surprise, but it is absolutely expected. The two met over 60 metres at the National Indoor Championships in February, and while Akinola was the clear winner on that occasion, Olatunde has found some form of late.

They haven’t raced each other since then, but their performances couldn’t be more closely matched. In Geneva, on the same day they joined forces to break the long-standing national 4x100m relay record, they raced in separate heats of the 100m. Both ran their wind-legal season’s bests that day: Olatunde 10.23 (+0.9) and Akinola 10.25 (-0.4).

Akinola ran the fastest 100m ever by an Irish man in Stratford in June, a wind-assisted 10.10 (+2.9), on the same track as Olatunde ran the Irish record (10.12) last season. More recently, Olatunde took the win at the Morton Games in 10.20w (+2.3), and Akinola ran 10.17w (+2.5) in Stratford a few days later.

There’s very little to separate them on paper, and with a national title on the line – it would be Akinola’s first outdoors; Olatunde is going for five in a row – there may be even less to separate them when they cross the line on Sunday.

The battle for bronze may be even fiercer. Don’t miss one of the greatest sights in Irish athletics at 6:10pm on Sunday evening as 10 of Ireland’s fastest men, and everything they represent, hurtle down the Santry home straight, potentially with the wind in their backs.

Blink and you’ll miss it. Experience it and you’ll be coming back for more!

Pride and Tokyo places at stake in the women’s middle-distance events

With a number of possible subplots, the women’s 800m and 1500m could be particularly exciting.

Having the season of her life, Sarah Healy might look like the nailed-on favourite for the 800m, but the event also includes another athlete who has run 2:00 this season.

Jenna Bromell is actually the fastest Irish woman over the distance this season, having run 2:00.53 in Belfast in early May, a time inside the Athletics Ireland B standard for Tokyo. While she is unlikely to rack up enough ranking points to be invited, a fast time here would boost her chances of making the European Championships in Birmingham next year.

Alex O’Neill, who recently ran 2:01.70 and Maeve O’Neill, who has been incredibly consistent this season, add further spice to a potentially exciting showdown.

Jodie McCann or Laura Nicholson still have a chance of joining Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan in the 1500m in Tokyo. Indeed, in the unlikely but certainly possible event of Healy winning the Diamond League final, both could make it.

McCann is currently within quota, but doesn’t have the Athletics Ireland B standard (4:08.00). Nicholson has the B standard but isn’t currently within quota. European U23 bronze medallist Eimear Maher is also not far off either the B standard or the quota spaces.

McCann ran herself into an Olympic spot thanks to her front-running tactics in the 5000m last year, though she would hope to not have to do it all herself over the shorter distance. McCann, Nicholson and Maher potentially all benefit from a fast race on Sunday. Will any of them be willing to set the pace?

Another potential mouthwatering clash in the men’s 1500m

The men's 1500m is almost always guaranteed to be a close-fought race. This year should be no different.

National record holder Andrew Coscoran is entered for both the 1500m and the 5000m, and has indicated on Instagram on Thursday that he will be doing the shorter event. Even if he chooses to do the 5000m (where, unlike in the 1500m, he is still looking to secure his spot in Tokyo), it still promises to be a cracker of a race.

There’s never much to choose between himself and Cathal Doyle, both of whom have the Auto Q for Tokyo, but Nick Griggs would very much love to spring a surprise, if not a complete shock, and win his first National Senior title.

Darragh McElhinney, James Gormley, Shane Bracken, Seán Donoghue, Lughaidh Mallon, Callum Morgan and Ronan McMahon-Staggs have all run sub 3:40 this season, and each has the potential to make the podium on their day, especially if any of the big three don’t show.

Expect trepidation, elbows, and a final lap dust-up.

Throws talent on display

Ireland winning three medals at the European Throws Cup earlier this year may have come as a shock to many, but the truth is that Ireland is in a healthy position in the throwing events right now.

Eric Favors, a regular at major championships, will be looking for the Athletics Ireland B standard to secure his spot in Tokyo. Expect a big cheer if he surpasses 20.40 on Saturday.

Nicola Tuthill already has three championship medals under her belt this season – European Throws Cup U23 gold, European U23 silver, World University Games silver – and has almost certainly secured her spot in Tokyo. Already an Olympian, the only thing seemingly missing is the national record.

2021 and 2022 National javelin champion Conor Cusack threw 75.18 metres a few weeks ago, putting him 3rd on the Irish all-time list, and anything close to that on Saturday will make for spectacular viewing.

Niamh Fogarty broke the long-standing women’s discus record earlier this year, and while she will be favourite to win what would be an eighth national discus title, a mediocre day might open the door for European Throws Cup medallist Anna Gavigan.

All-in-all, implements of the throwing variety could be flying a long way over the two days.

Streaking away

Over the past decade, Saragh Buggy has been peerless. She has 23 national senior wins, including nine consecutive outdoor triple jump titles. On Saturday, she’ll be looking to make that 10 in a row, but will have to overcome Greek national Daphni Doulaptsi-Teeuwen, who has beaten her, albeit by very small margins, three times this season.

Others on a run include Kate Veale (5000m walk), who has five consecutive titles and 10 in total; Seán Mockler (hammer) looking for his fifth consecutive hammer title; Sarah Lavin going for five in a row (and 10 altogether) in the 100m hurdles; Sommer Lecky looking for her fourth consecutive high jump title, Michael Healy looking for four in a row in the Weight for Distance, and the aforementioned Israel Olatunde, going for a fifth 100m title, and Doyle, going for his fourth consecutive 1500m title.

If Mark English chooses to run the 800m, he’ll be looking for his 10th title. Brian Fay (5000m), Reece Ademola (Long Jump), Favors (Shot Put), Fogarty (Discus), and Tuthill (Hammer) could all extend their current streaks to three.

Changing of the guard

Thomas Barr won 12 of the last 14 Men’s 400m hurdles titles, including every edition since 2012. Following his retirement, a first-time winner in that event is guaranteed.

Michelle Finn has won 10 of the 18 women’s steeplechase titles ever contested, including the past seven. In her absence, somebody new will take the honours.

Both Barr’s and Finn’s shoes are big ones to fill, but expect those who benefit from their absence to cherish their moment on the top step of the podium.

No matter the year, the event, or the athlete’s prior accomplishments, Irish Senior titles always mean a lot. If you don’t believe us, get yourself there over the weekend and experience for yourselves just what winning a title means to the best of Irish athletics talent.

(article updated following the announcement of some high-profile withdrawals)

The European Team Championships is the main event this weekend, but while some of the top athletes are taking advantage of a break in the Diamond League calendar to get some training done, there are still other events with Irish interest this weekend.

Nick Griggs will continue his comeback from injury/illness with his first 5000m of the season, a strong U20 team will compete in Germany, and others will be looking for personal bests abroad and at the Irish Milers Club meeting in Dublin.

European Team Championships (Saturday and Sunday)

Ireland streaked to victory (and promotion) when they competed in Division 3 of the European Team Championships two years ago, but they will find much tougher opposition, particularly in the field events, back in Division 2.

Despite some of the big names not being available for selection, athletes in many of the track events, particularly from 400m upwards, will be expected to collect big points. Sharlene Mawdsley (400m), Sarah Lavin (100m hurdles) and the mixed 4x400m relay team will be targeting top spot.

This being Europe, the field events will be trickier. Take the women’s hammer throw, for example. Nicola Tuthill is currently ranked 20th on the Road to Tokyo. Only 27 women in the world have thrown further than her this year. Three of those (the Romanian, Danish and Norwegian competitors) will line up against Nicola on Sunday.

Eric Favors, too, is ranked 4th based on season’s best in the 16-man shot put field, while David Cussen, ranked equal 5th in the high jump, is another possibility for decent field event points.

The key to respectability will be ensuring that nobody ends up with a no mark, and that all perform at or near their best. The different rules used for vertical jumps, with athletes only allowed four fouls in total across all attempts, will affect the results. Whether they work in Ireland’s favour or not is yet to be seen.

The event will be streamed on European Athletics. Action starts at 1.30pm (Irish time) on both days, with the mixed relay concluding the programme on Sunday evening.

Continental Tour Bronze and Challenger meetings (Friday and Saturday)

A small number of Irish athletes will be competing in the handful of Continental Tour meetings happening this weekend.

Among them are Nick Griggs who will have his first run out over 5000m since returning from prolonged illness/injury at the Meeting National de Carquefou (CT Challenger) in France on Saturday. His training partner Callum Morgan will also be racing the 5000m there, while Mark Milner will be running the 1500m.

On Friday, Lauren Callaghan is on the start list for the long jump at the International Sparkassenmeeting (CT Challenger) in Germany. Fresh from her recent PB, Victoria Amiadamen will compete over the 400m hurdles at the Midsommer meeting in Berlin on Saturday.

Domestic action

Some strong fields have been assembled for the Irish Milers Club Crucaders AC meeting on Saturday, where there will be 400m, 800m and 1500m races for both men and women, as well as 3000m for the women, and 5000m for the men.  

The women's 1500m is looking particularly strong with Amy O'Donoghue, Niamh Kearney, Roisin Treacy, Ellie Hartnett and Cheryl Nolan among the entries. Paralympian Greta Streimikyte will race the B race.

The Biofreeze Irish Runner National 5 Mile Road Race will take place in Phoenix Park on Sunday morning (9am start).

Elsewhere

A very strong U20 team will compete at the Bauhaus Juniorengala in Mannheim, Germany, on Saturday and Sunday. Mountain Runner Zak Hanna will be taking on le Cross du Mont-Blanc (23km) on Saturday.

The Bislett Games/Oslo Diamond League on Thursday evening (12th June) will get the weekend off to an early start, and there's Irish interest both there and at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday.

There are plenty of other meetings to look forward to across the weekend, including the NCAA Div I finals, which started in Eugene, Oregon on Wednesday.

Diamond League

Rhasidat Adeleke will run her first individual 400m of the season in Oslo on Thursday, while Mark English will hope to continue the form that has seen him twice break his own national 800m record in recent weeks. The event will be televised live on Virgin Media 2 from 7-9pm on Thursday evening. Rhasidat will take to lane 6 at 7.04pm, while Mark will follow at 7.19pm.

Rhadisat will also compete over 400m at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday. The event will again be shown live on Virgin Media 2, from 5-7pm. Rhasidat’s race is due off at 6pm.

NCAA Championships

Seven Irish athletes qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships – five in individual events and two as part of 4x100m relay teams. Seán Mockler (Hammer) and Shane Brosnan (10,000m) competed on Wednesday finishing 21st and 23rd respectively. Diarmuid O’Connnor also got his Decathlon underway, finishing day 1 in 13th position.

Thursday will be a busy day for the Irish with Diarmuid competing in day 2 of the decathlon, Sophie O’Sullivan (1500m), Maeve O’Neill (800m), Lucy-May Sleeman (4x100m) and Lauren Roy (4x100m) all in semi-final action. Those who qualify will compete in finals on Saturday.

Domestic Action

There are strong fields entered for the Belfast BMC on Saturday. The women’s 800m is looking particularly strong with Emma Moore, Greta Streimikyte, Ellie Hartnett and Alex O'Neill among the entries. Cara Laverty will face in-form steeplechasers Niamh Kearner and Roisin Treacy, among others, in the 1500m, Stephen Scullion, Amy Greene and Grace Richardson are among the entries for the 3000m races. The event will conclude with the men’s mile where Callum Morgan, Oisín Ó Gailín, Cathal O'Reilly, Lughaidh Mallon and Nick Griggs are all listed.

Robert McDonnell, David Bosch and Marcus Lawler are all entered in the 200m at the 5th Dublin Graded Meeting of the year.  Others set to compete include Conor Callinan in the Pole Vault and Michael Healy (Discus Throw),

Continental Tour Bronze and Challenger meetings

A number of Irish athletes will be seeking personal bests, world ranking points and maybe even qualification standards as they compete around Europe this weekend.

Callum Baird (400m), Sean Donoghue (1500m), Jodie McCann (1500m), Seán Tobin (5000m), Kate Doherty (100m Hurdles), and Sommer Lecky (High Jump) are all on the startlist for Meeting of Braga in Portugal. This is a Continental Tour Bronze meeting.

Molly Scott (100m, 100m Hurdles), Ciara Neville (100m, 200m) and Saragh Buggy (Triple Jump) are all entered for the EAP Malta International.

Deirdre Murray (400m Hurdles), Oisin Lynch (800m), Louis O'Loughlin (800m), Robert Hewison (800m) and Ava O’Connor (1500m) are among those competing at the International Athletics Meeting of Nivelles in Belgium.

Cillian Kirwan (800m) and Cormac Dalton (5000m) will head to Track Night Vienna in search of fast times on Saturday.

Ronan McMahon-Staggs and Mark Milner (both 1500m) are on the startlist for Portland Track Festival while Charlie O'Donovan will compete at The Adrian Martinez Classic, both in the USA.

Eric Favors (Shot Put) will compete at the Johnny Loaring Classic, a Continental Tour Bronze meeting, in Canada on Sunday.

Other meetings

European 10,000m Cup winner Efrem Gidey is currently outside the quota spots for the World Championships. He is entered for the British Championships in Birmingham on Saturday where he’ll likely need to run faster than ever before to improve his Tokyo status. Jack O'Leary, Niall Murphy, Emily Haggard-Kearney and Emma McEvoy are also on the startlist.

The event is being run as part of the University of Birmingham Track and Field Festival, where Anna McCauley is also due to compete in the Heptathlon.

Next week's action will include Continental Tour action in Turku where Sarah Lavin will race the 100m hurdles, and both Andrew Coscoran and Cathal Doyle will race the 1500m; the UCD Athletics Meeting, and the Paris Diamond League where Sarah Healy is due to race the 1500m.

In case you need any reminders, the last time Coscoran and Doyle raced each other at either 1500m or the mile was that epic battle at the Morton Games in 2022.