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Irish team selected for European Championships

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Rhasidat Adeleke has opted to compete at the European Championships in Munich later this month. The news was confirmed as Athletics Ireland announced their largest ever team for a senior major championships with 31 individual athletes, along with two relay teams travelling to the German capital.

Adeleke will compete in the 400m and women’s 4x400m relay. The 19-year-old sprinter finished ninth overall in the event at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene last month and will be in a strong position to challenge for a podium place if she can replicate her level of performance.

The Irish record holder in the 60m, 200m, 300m, and 400m heads an incredibly strong relay team with depth arguably like never seen before. Joining Adeleke in the squad are Phil Healy, Sophie Becker, Sharlene Mawdsley, Cliodhna Manning, and Roisin Harrison. All six athletes have ran under 53 seconds in the 400m this season.

Three previous medallists have also been selected for the championships. Thomas Barr (Ferrybank AC), Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn AC), and Mark English (Finn Valley AC) will all be looking to replicate their previous podium finishes.

Barr was disappointed with his fifth-place finish in his semi-final of the 400m Hurdles at the World Championships in Eugene last month, while English narrowly missed the 800m final finishing tenth overall. Mageean opted out of the worlds to focus on the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she will represented Northern Ireland in the 1500m. The Down woman is also entered in the 800m and ran an impressive time of 1.59.03 for the event in a mixed race recently, under the Irish record however it will not count as such. Sarah Healy (UCD AC) who ran an Irish U23 1500m record earlier this season will also be toeing the line in the 1500m.

Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) will look to continue her great season in the 100m Hurdles. The Limerick woman made the world indoor final earlier this year and progressed to the semi-finals at the World Championships finishing as fifth fastest European.

Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole AC) will make her sixth appearance at these championships. The four-time Olympian competes in the marathon along with Aoife Cooke (Eagle AC) and Ann-Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC).

Commonwealth Games silver medal winner Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerald’s AC) will be in action in the Heptathlon and will have her eyes on her own Irish record mark. Fellow Irish U23 record holders Darragh McElhinney and Israel Olatunde (UCD AC) compete in the 5000m and 100m respectively.

 

Full Irish team for European Championships:

Athlete Event Club Coach
*Fionnuala McCormack Marathon Kilcoole AC Alan McCormack
Rhasidat Adeleke 400m & 4x400m Relay Tallaght AC Edrick Floreal
Thomas Barr 400mH Ferrybank AC Hayley Harrison
David Kenny 20km Walk Farranfore Maine Valley Robert Heffernan
Louise Shanahan 800m Leevale AC Phil O’Dell & Ray Shanahan
Sarah Healy 1500m UCD AC Eoghan Marnell
Kate O’Connor Heptathlon Dundalk St. Gerards AC Michael O’Connor
Chris O’Donnell 400m North Sligo AC Benke Blomkvist
Sarah Lavin 100mH Emerald AC Noelle Morrissey
Mark English 800m Finn Valley AC Feidhlim Kelly
Luke McCann 1500m UCD AC Clark McCann
Hiko Haso 10,000m DSD AC Feidhlim Kelly
*Brendan Boyce 35km Walk Finn Valley AC Robert Heffernan
Brian Fay 5000m Raheny Shamrock AC Feidhlim Kelly
Darragh McElhinney 5000m UCD AC Emmett Dunleavy
Andrew Coscoran 1500m Star of the Sea AC Feidhlim Kelly
Eilish Flanagan 3000mSC Finn Valley AC Damon Martin
Michelle Finn 3000mSC Leevale AC Feidhlim Kelly
Efrem Gidey 10,000m Clonliffe Harriers AC Peter McDermott
*Aoife Cooke Marathon Eagle AC Alan Storey
Phil Healy 400m & 4x400m Relay Bandon AC Shane McCormack
Ciara Mageean 800m & 1500m City of Lisburn AC Helen Clitheroe
John Fitzsimons 800m Kildare AC Joe Ryan
*Ann Marie McGlynn Marathon Letterkenny AC Emmett Dunleavy
*Hugh Armstrong Marathon Ballina AC Feidhlim Kelly
Sophie Becker 400m & 4x400m Relay Raheny Shamrock AC Jeremy Lyons & Gerard O’Donnell
Marcus Lawler 200m & 4x100m Relay Clonliffe Harriers AC Shane McCormack
Alex Wright 35km Walk Leevale AC Lauren Wright
Israel Olatunde 100m & 4x100m Relay UCD AC Daniel Kilgallon
Roisin Flanagan 5000m Finn Valley AC Damon Martin
Eric Favors Shot Put Raheny Shamrock AC Dane Miller
Sharlene Mawdsley 4x400m Relay Newport AC Gary Ryan
Cliodhna Manning 4x400m Relay Kilkenny City Harriers AC Peter Lyons
Roisin Harrison 4x400m Relay Emerald AC Eoghan MacNamara
Joseph Ojewumi 4x100m Relay Tallaght AC Daniel Kilgallon
Mark Smyth 4x100m Relay Raheny Shamrock AC Kay Bannon
Colin Doyle 4x100m Relay Leevale AC Alan Mahoney
Leon Reid 4x100m Relay Menapians AC James Hillier
Paul Costelloe Non-travelling reserve – 4x100m Relay Emerald AC Liam O’Hora
Kelly McGrory Non-travelling reserve – 4x400m Relay Tir Chonall AC Drew & Hayley Harrison

 

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