Rhasidat looks set to return, distance runners chase times and plenty of other action
Elizabeth Egan | Feb 13, 2026
While there are no World Indoor Tour gold meetings this weekend, it will still be a very big one for Irish athletes, particularly in the USA, where it’s the final big weekend of pre-championship college meetings.
Rhasidat Adeleke is likely to open her season in the USA, Luke McCann will continue his comeback in Germany, and Laura Nicholson will race outdoors in Australia.
The distance athletes will seek fast times at Boston University, the Sound Invite and elsewhere, collegiate-based sprinters and field eventers compete at Fayetteville and elsewhere, and the marathon men take on Seville.
Domestic action will be in the form of the National League final on Saturday and the National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country on Sunday.
Rhasidat’s return?
Rhasidat Adeleke, who hasn’t raced since July last year, appears on the startlists for two meetings in the US this weekend.
She is down for the 60m at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, NM, where she set the current national record for 60m (7.15a) and 200m (22.49a) in 2024, and the 300m at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, AR, a World Indoor Tour silver event. Both races are on Saturday, so she won’t be doing both.
Other Irish athletes scheduled to compete at the Tyson Invitational are Conor Kelly (400m), Elizabeth Ndudi (Long Jump) and Siún Quinn (High Jump).
Distance athletes chasing times in the US
Four Irish athletes are set to compete in the professional races at the Sound Invite in Winston-Salem, NC, which also carries World Indoor Tour silver status. After winning his race in impressive fashion in Boston two weeks ago, Darragh McElhinney will have another crack at the World Indoor qualifying time of 8:33.00
With just two places available, and Andrew Coscoran and Nick Griggs already after securing the standard, the standard is most likely needed. James Gormley, who raced at World Indoors last year, will likely also be chasing the standard.
Ronan McMahon-Staggs will race the Mile, while Hannah Segrave is down to contest the 800m.
A healthy contingent of Irish athletes are also due to compete at the David Hemery Valentine Invite at Boston University. Among them are Jack O’Leary, who would love to add the European 5000m standard (13:08.00) to the one he’s already secured over 10,000m; Abdel Laadjel who is on the 3000m startlist; Maeve O’Neill who has recently made big improvements over 800m and Cillian Kirwan, also 800m.
Other Irish entries include Oisín Lynch, Finn Boyle, Gemma Galvin, Claire Crowley (all 800m), Emmy Thornton (1000m), Louis O'Loughlin, Oisín Ó Gailín, Seán Donoghue, Liam Lyons, Seán Cronin, Cara Laverty, Nicole Dinan (Mile), Jack Fenlon, Charlie O'Donovan, Ava O'Connor, Roisin Treacy (3000m), Ryan McCarthy (3000m, 5000m), Claragh Keane, Grace Richardson (5000m).
Three of the Adams State crew appear to be using the weekend as preparation for upcoming championships as Louis O'Loughlin (800m), Oisín Lynch (Mile) and Ava O'Connor (Mile) are also scheduled to compete at the Harvard Crimson Open and Elite meeting across the weekend.
The men compete at Boston, MA on Friday and down the road in Cambridge, MA on Saturday, and the women are scheduled the other way round (Cambridge on Friday and Boston on Saturday), so such doubles are logistically doable.
Other US collegiate action
Diarmuid O’Connor, who recently broke his own Heptathlon record, is scheduled to compete in the 60m Hurdles and the High Jump at Harvard Crimson on Saturday.
Sean Aigboboh, who had a big breakthrough over 200m last weekend is down to compete over 60m at Howie Ryan on Friday.
The ever-consistent Lucy-May Sleeman is entered for both 60m and 200m at Tiger Paw Invitational across Friday and Saturday.
Victoria Amiadamen, who was Ireland’s fastest over 400m hurdles last season, will compete over 400m at the Jarvis Scott Invit in Lubbock, TX on Friday.
Sixteen more athletes have been added to the TrackAthletes NCAA/NAIA database this week, thanks to the help of Killian Lonergan/Athletics Ireland, which means even more collegiate meetings to follow. Check out the NCAA page for more information, and let us know of any further errors or omissions.
Nicholson Down Under
Larua Nicholson won her first race of the year over the mile in New Zealand three weeks ago, but will face much stiffer opposition as she takes on the Australians over 1500m at the Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Perth on Saturday.
European action
Luke McCann will continue his return to racing over 800m at Erfurt Indoor in Germany on Friday night.
John Kelly (Shot Putt), is among the entries at Aadax Locked-In, a World Indoor Tour Challenger event, in Sweden on Sunday.
Paul O'Donnell, Ryan Creech, William Maunsell and David Mansfield are among the elite entries for the Seville Marathon on Sunday morning.
Closer to home
Michael Alajiki (Triple Jump), Rachel McCann (200m, 400m) and Jenna Breen (400m) are among the entries for the British University Indoor Championships, which take place in Sheffield from Friday to Sunday. As countries are incorrectly assigned to many athletes on the entry system, we may have missed others.
Marcus Lawler (200m), Conor Callinan (Pole Vault), Sam Healy (Long Jump), Eoin Sheridan (Shot Put), Mark Smyth (60m) and Molly Scott (60m Hurdles) are among the athletes named in their teams for the National League Final which will take place in Abbotstown on Saturday.
