Eoin Sheridan

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.

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.

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.