News

Four Cork Athletes Selected for EFCVO U18 Meet Franconville - July 2021

Four Cork Athletes On Irish U18 Team for French T&F Meet

Franconville, Paris, France

July 31st - August 1st

Conor Callinan, Leevale AC	Lucy May Sleeman, Leevale AC	Maeve O'Neill, Doheny AC	Una Brice, Leevale AC

 Four Cork athletes from two clubs, Leevale AC (3) and Doheny AC (1) have been selected on a 23 person Athletics Ireland team for the U18 International T&F Meet in Franconville, France, next week. Conor Callinan, Lucy May Sleeman and Úna Brice, all Leevale AC, join Maeve O'Neill, Doheny AC for the two-day International meet

The squad was selected from Expressions of Interest submitted by clubs and individuals.  The event will be held, in Francoville, Paris, from July 31st to August 1st 2021

Cork Team Members

Irish Team

More Great Performances on Day 4 of U20 European Championships

Curtain Comes Down on Magnificent Irish Performance at European Under 20 T&F Championships 2021

Tallinn, Estonia

Sunday July 18th 2021

 

Diarmuid O'Connor celebrates with is fellow Decathletes after the event

Ireland finished in third place on the Medal Table at the end of a Major Championship - did we ever think we'd see this day?

Well done to all the athletes and coaches!This didn't just happen by turning up on the day!

For anyone who watched these Chamionships, the performances across the board, by the Irish, was stirring and uplifting. I think a lot of people will have taken notice!


Final Medal Table

Final Medal Table

Decathlon - Diarmuid O'Connor

Final Decathlon Table

Bandon AC's Diarmuid O'Connor came into today's second day of the Decathlon in fifth place, having set four PB's in his five first-day events... a seemingly difficult feat to continue.  But...continue he did, setting a 14.36 sec PB in the 110mH, before most of us were even up.  Not long afterwards, he followed up with a 39.73m PB in the Discus.  

Decathlon Discus Results

Next up was the pole vault, where he opened on 3.8M and appeared to struggle to move towards his 4.2m PB. However the 'Heaven's Opened' in Tallinn and, when vaulting resumed after a brief recess, Diarmuid was 'on fire', quickly clearing 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4m, for yet another PB. 

Diarmuid attempting 4.2m in the Pole Vault

...And he wasn't finished setting PB's, casting a massive PB of 49.02m in the Javelin - a PB by almost 9m

Diarmuid urging his Javelin on, for his 49.02m PB

Diarmuid's standing after 7 events

Lining up for the Start of 1500m

He went into the final event, the 1500m, with a hefty gap to the Bronze medal, and took it out at 4:30 pace, quickly opening up a relatively big lead. Diarmuid was one of the leaders in the 1500m, with a PB of 4:30. His lead was cut somewhat by two slower laps, around 4:40/4:45 pace. Diarmuid upped the pace going into the final lap, but was caught by Belgian Misplon, who appeared to be urging Diarmuid on over the final metres, with Diarmuid finishing in 4:31.63, just behind Misplon, on 4:31.39.

Diarmuid finished in Fourth place, and set a new National Junior Record of 7604 points, surpassing Barry Walsh's 1987 record of 7336 points, and on the way he set eight (8) PB's - a stupendous performance from the Bandon AC Man

 Barry Walsh's 1987 Irish Junior Decathlon Record

 
Ireland's 4x400 Women Go Close in Final

 Lauren McCourt, Caoimhe Cronin, Maeve O'Neill and Rhasidat Adeleke

 Ireand's Womens 4x400 team of Lauren McCourt, Caoimhe Cronin, Maeve O'Neill and Rhasidat Adeleke almost produced produced a major upset today, having qualifed as one of the non-automatic qualifiers, at the expense of the much fancied Poles.
Bandon AC's Lauren McCourt took the first leg, and after a start that saw her well up, the strength of the other teams saw her in a tussle with Ukraine and Czech Republic to keep Ireland in contention. Caoimhe Cronin took over and handed over to Maeve, in 8th place. Maeve O'Neill ran the third leg, bringing Ireland back to sixth, falling back to 8th, but produced a tremendous finish to hand over in 6th place.

Rhasidat Adeleke ran a powerful anchor leg and, with the leading five teams powering away, and a 25/30m gap, Adleke's task seemed insurmountable. Yet a tremendous effort, reminiscent of Phil Healy's "Depths of Hell" 400m relay leg, saw Rhasidat go into second place entering the final bend. She appeared to alter her stride coming off the final bend, to go around/avoid the runners on the inside, and in doing so, seemed to tie up over the final 80 metres, losing two places.  Nevertheless it was a fabulous performance from her, particularly as this was her sixth race of the Championships.

Women's 4x400m Final

 Cork Athletics Report Day 1 - Irish Progress on Day 1 of European U20 Championships 2021

 Cork Athletics Report Day 2 - Adeleke is European 100m Champion on Day 2 of U20 Championships

Cork Athletics Report Day 3 - Irish Triple Crown on Day 3 of U20 European Championships

Full Results

Athletics Ireland Report - Day 4

National Records Fall on Day 4 of European U20 Championships

National records fell on the 4th and final day of the European U20 Championships in Tallinn today, with Diarmuid O'Connor (Decathlon) and the Irish Women’s 4 x 400m relay team rounding off Ireland’s most successful ever championships in fitting style.

The Irish Women’s 4 x 400m Relay team of Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC), Caoimhe Cronin (Le Cheile) Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC), and Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) secured a 5th place finish in an U20 NR time of 3.37.39.

McCourt and Cronin safely transitioned the baton to O’Neill for the third leg which saw the Doheny athlete move from 8th place to 7th before making the final handover to Adeleke who had a substantial gap to make up to the leading five athletes.

True to form Adeleke clocked a 52.54-second final leg (fastest of anyone in the field) to help the Irish women to fifth and the new U20 NR.

Relay team success is very much about the squad and a special mention must go Kate O'Connell (Lucan Harriers) and Blanaid Fogarty (Enniscorthy AC) who played their part and were there to roar their teammates home.

Diarmuid O'Connor (Bandon AC) put together a breath-taking series of performances in the Men’s Decathlon over the last two days to secure a 4th place finish in a new national U20 record score of 7604 points.

O’Connor picked up where he left off on day 1, securing lifetime bests in the 110m Hurdles (14.36), Discus (39.73), Pole Vault (4.30), and a huge 9-meter PB in the Javelin (49.02). It moved the Frank Stam trained athlete within touching distance of the podium places heading into the final event (1500m).

The 1500m is one of O’Connor’s stronger events and the Bandon athlete went out in from the gun and gave his all to cross the line in 4:31.63 to round out a stunning two days of competition. It resulted in O’Connor finishing in an agonising 4th place overall on the back of 8 PBs from his 10 events.

The final score of 7604 points set the new Irish U20 record in style, taking over from the record of Barry Walsh which had stood since 1968.

Aoife McGreevy (Lagan Valley AC) & Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) were also in action this afternoon in the Women’s 5000m split final which would see the A and B final times amalgamated. The Irish duo went in final A which was by the quicker of the two.

Mooney finished in a brilliant 6th place overall having gone with the leading pack from the gun. The Tullamore Harriers athlete was still in touch with two laps to go but an injection of pace in searing heat saw a gap open to the podium places. Mooney crossed the line in a 16:41.87 to claim yet another top 10 placing for the Irish at these championships.

McGreevy raced patiently to the rear of the main pack and was unlucky to just miss out on a top 20 finish, crossing in 17:20.49 for 22nd place overall.

The Men’s 4 x 100m Relay team were out on track early this morning. The team of Cillian Griffin (Tralee AC), Israel Olatunde (UCD AC), Charles Okafor (Mullingar Harriers), and Adam Sykes (Orangegrove AC) finished in a time of 41.06 for 6th place in the heats. It was a smooth run by all and offered more championship experience for the young sprinters, but ultimately it was not enough to advance to the evening’s final.

These championships will be remembered for some time to come, and credit must go to all those who have helped to support the athletes in getting to this stage over the last number of years. Team Ireland will return to Dublin with 4 gold medals, a national senior record, several national U20 records, as well as another six top-6 placings.

Full Results

Day 1 Report

Day 2 Report

Day 3 Report

Adeleke is European 100m Champion on Day 2 of U20 Championships

Gold for Adeleke on Day 2 of European Under 20 T&F Championships 2021

Tallinn, Estonia

July 16th 2021

Rhadisat Adeleke, Tallaght AC - European U20 100m Champion

 


There were three Cork Athletes in action today; Nicola Tuthill (Bandon AC), Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC) and Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC)

Nicola Tuthill throwing in Round 3

Nicola Tuthill was out bright and early, in the women's hammer, at 8am Irish time.  Nicola threw 54.78, well inside her recent form, for her opening throw. Unfortunately she fouled her subsequent two throws, to finish in 14th place, outside the top 12 qualifying places.  No doubt the young Bandon girl will have gained valuable experience at these Championships and will be eligible for the championships next time round

Page 2 of Women's Hammer Results

Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC) - 800m Semi-Final

Maeve O'Neill, Doheny AC

Maeve O'Neill was next out for Cork, in the first of this afternoon's two 800m Semi-Finals.  Maeve was left 2 or 3m adrift after a quick start by the field, however the pace quickly settled down, into what proved to be teh slower of the two Semi's. By the back straight, Maeve made up the lost ground and was with the bunched pack at the bell, in 64 sec

800m - The Bell

Results - 800m Semi-Final 1

Maeve was still with the pack with 250 to go, but, going into the final bend, the leaders went for home and Maeve became detached, finishing in 2:10.61, missing out on the final, as the fastest no-automatic qualifiers all came from the second Semi-Final

Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC)  - 200m Heat 2

Startlist Heat 2 200m

Lauren finished 6th from Heat 2, in 24.23. with 3 from each heat, and the four fastest non-automatic qualifiers to progress. With just one of those ahead of her from heat 1, and none from heat 3, we hoped that heat 4 would be kind. Sadly there were two athletes outside the first three, with one of theose taking the last spot, leaving Lauren just 0.16 sec outside of progressing

 Start 200m

Finish of 200m

 200m Finish

Results 200m - Heat 2

Athletics Ireland Report - Day 2

Golden day for Irish in Tallinn

It was a day to remember for the Irish at the European Athletics U20 Championship in Tallinn, with Rhasidat Adeleke securing a gold medal in the 100m final in the most impressive of style.

The Tallaght AC athlete exploded from the starting blocks and powered over the finish line clear of the field in a blistering 11.35.

This gold medal performance continues the record-breaking season for Adeleke which has included breaking Phil Healy's Irish 200m earlier in the year with a 22.96 at the Big 12 Championships in Manhattan (15.05.2021). It also adds to the European U18 100m gold Adeleke won in 2018.

It represents another milestone for Irish sprinting, with Adeleke following in the footsteps of an 18-year-old Gina Akpe-Moses who claimed gold in this event back in 2017 at the U20 Championships in Grosseto, Italy.

Adeleke who doesn't turn 19 until the end of August was then back in action in the heats of the 200m where she comfortably secured her place in tomorrow's semi-finals in a time of 23.20. Adeleke was .43 of a second faster than anyone else who advanced and will be back on track tomorrow at 1.40pm Irish time. Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC) also took to the blocks for the 200m heats and produced a superb run of 24.23 which was just outside her PB. Unfortunately, McCourt just missed out on advancing by two places.

Tokyo bound Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers) was in 200m heat action too and cruised through to tomorrow's semi-finals with a professional victory in 21.16. McDonnell will be back for the semi-finals tomorrow at 2.00pm Irish time.

The Men's 5000m final was a tactical race with much of the pack remaining bunched for the first 2,000m. Abdel Laadjel (Donore Harriers) and Dean Casey (Ennis Track Club) settled into midfield, while Callum Morgan (St. Malachy's AC) raced patiently to the rear. The race was blown apart by an injection of pace with 3 laps to go which saw Casey remain with the leading 6 athletes before falling back slightly as they hit the bell. Casey stuck on bravely to claim back 6th place coming into the home straight to finish in 14.40.74, while Laadjel followed soon after for 11th in 14.50.07. Morgan kept grinding it out for the last laps to cross for 21st place in Europe in 15.15.52.

Nicola Tuthill (Bandon AC) was first of the Irish in action on day 2 of these championships. Tuthill threw a 54.78m best in the Hammer for 14th place in Group A qualifying which wasn't enough to advance. 17-year-old Tuthill landed the 54.78 on her initial attempt and then went all out to try and claim the 60m which would have made the final, only to foul on her two remaining attempts. Tuthill has been gradually increasing her PB to a new best of 61.55m this season and will be looking forward to bringing this week's experience to future competitions in the Irish vest.

Eoin Quinn (Mullingar Harriers AC) ran a 1:54.24 800m for 5th place in his heat, but unfortunately didn't progress. Quinn was unlucky to be in the slower of the 3 heats and will look back on his huge season which saw his PB go from 1:57.81 to 1:50.40 over the past few months.

Ava O'Connor (Tullamore Harriers AC) went in the heats of the 1500m but unfortunately did not progress, crossing the line in 4:55.84. O'Connor, who has won four All Ireland U20 titles in 800m and 1500m will be another sure to be back in the Irish vest for years to come.

Alan Miley (St L O'Toole AC) ran a great race in the Men's 400mH heats and was unlucky to clip the last hurdle which stopped all momentum coming to the line. Miley finished in 53.86 for 5th place, just outside qualification.

Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC) bowed out of her championship journey at the semi-final stage of the 800m. O'Neill finished in 7th place in 2:10:61 which was not enough to advance, but she will take great heart from securing a personal best time at an international championship (2.01.91pb).

Day 3

Alarm clocks will be set early on Saturday morning, with several athletes competing across the track and field.

Bandon AC's Diarmuid O'Connor will start his busy two days in the Decathlon. The UCC student has been developing slowly but surely over the last few years, culminating in a huge 500-point improvement in Arona with 7,316pts. The Bandon athlete has the physical capacity to progress into a top-class international decathlete and he will not be found wanting in this event.

Mullingar Harriers due of Matthew Glennon and Oisin Lane go in the final of the Men's 10k Walk from 8.05am.

Recent U20 national champion Casey Mulvey (Innyvale AC) will be looking to challenge her PB of 15.62 as she looks to make it to the final round of throws in the Women's Shot Put. The young Ballyjamesduff athlete heads off to De Paul University in Chicago in August and will have a great opportunity to progress further over the coming years. Mulvey will be in action from 8.35am.

The Women's 4 x 400m relay team of Caoimhe Cronin, Maeve O'Neill, Kate O'Connell, Lauren McCourt, and Blanaid Fogarty will go in their heats from 9.30am.

Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) and Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers) will be back on track for their semi-finals from 1.40pm (W) and 2.00pm(M).

It's all finals come the afternoon session which will see Cian McPhillips (Longford AC) take his place in the 1500m line-up, while duo Fionn Harrington (Bandon AC) & Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC) will go in the 3000m final.

Saturday 17th

    7.35am: Men's Decathlon (100m Heats) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

    8.05am: Men's 10k Walk Final - Matthew Glennon Mullingar Harriers AC & Oisin Lane Mullingar Harriers

    8.35am: Women's Shot Put – Casey Mulvey Innyvale AC

    9.30am: Women's 4 x 400m Relay Heats

    1.40pm: Women's 200m Semi-Final Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC)

    2.00pm: Men's 200m Semi-Final Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers)

    2.40pm: Women's Shot Put Final

    3.55pm: Women's 200m Final

    4.05pm: Men's 200m Final

    4.35pm: Men's 1500m Final Cian McPhillips (Longford AC)

    5.05pm: Men's 3000m Final Fionn Harrington (Bandon AC) & Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC)

U18 and Available for Competition in Paris July 31st

U18 Competition Paris

July 31st 2021

Stadium Jean Rolland, Franconville, France (North-West suburb of Paris)

Stadium Jean Rolland

Athletics Ireland has agreed to take part in the International U18 Match - Franconville, France, from 31 July - 1st August 2021. Athletics Ireland is seeking expressions of interest based on the information contained in the attached document from athletes born 2004 or 2005 only

Entry standards and a link to the 'Expression of Interest' form

Team Manual

Selection of Five Cork Athletes Ratified for Tokyo Olympics

Five Athletes From Three Cork Clubs are Tokyo Bound

Official OFI Announcement, with Phil Healy and Nadia Power

Tokyo 2020

The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) has endorsed a total squad of 25 athletes for the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics, following nomination by Athletics Ireland.  Among the Irish athletics contingent are five Cork Athletes; Aoife Cooke (Eagle AC), Michelle Finn (Leevale AC), Phil Healy (Bandon AC), Louise Shanahan (Leevale AC) and Alex Wright (Leevale AC)

Following submission by Athletics Ireland, the Irish nominations had to be submitted, by OFI to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) by July 5th, however it is understood that appeal(s) had delayed formal announcement of the Irish Track and Field team.

Aoife Cooke, Eagle AC	Michelle Finn, Leevale AC	Phil Healy, Bandon AC

Louise Shanahan, Leevale AC	Alex Wright, Leevale AC

OFI Release

Total number on Team Ireland Athletics Squad in the Tokyo Olympics Reaches 25

Team Ireland has officially selected the Athletics Track and Field and 20km Race Walk team who will be competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. There will now be twenty-five athletes competing across the athletics events, with today’s announcement confirming those athletes who were in events that had Olympic ranking open until the end of June. The athletics events occur in the second week of the Games, running from Friday 30 July – Sunday 8 August, with the events taking place in both Sapporo Odori Park and the Olympic Stadium.

Last month the Marathon and 50km Race Walk team was announced, with seven athletes competing in Sapporo, today’s announcement includes athletes who both achieved qualification standards in their respective events, or who finished within the rankings on the cut off day last week. It was a tense final few weeks for those competing, especially those on the cusp of the qualification cut off, with concurrent competitions taking place around the world right up until the final day. While some athletes like Rio Olympians Thomas Barr and Ciara Mageean secured qualifying times in advance of the cut off, others like Mark English and Sarah Lavin had a tense wait and tough competition decisions to make right up until the final few days, with English achieving his automatic qualifying time on the last day.

Fourth finisher in the Rio Olympics, Thomas Barr said,

    “I am very proud to be representing Ireland at my second Olympic Games. The men’s 400m hurdles is one of the most competitive events on the track at the moment and I can’t wait to line up and compete against the best on the biggest stage in the world.”

Speaking on her selection Cork’s Phil Healy said,

    “It is a real honour for any athlete to be selected to represent their country at the Olympic Games. To achieve qualification in one event is a dream for any athlete as the Olympic Games is the pinnacle of any athletes career. I am thrilled to be selected for two individual events in addition to the mixed 4x400m relay. Every athlete has worked so hard to get to this point and it’s made all the more special to have such a large and strong athletics team heading to the Games.”

Speaking ahead of the Olympic Games Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020, Tricia Heberle, said,

    "We have here a talented team of athletes, who have been faced with a challenging season of competition. For some qualification was confirmed early on in 2019, but for other athletes like Mark English, were achieving standards right until the last day. We have a strong team travelling with us to Tokyo, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do on the world's biggest stage.”

Athletics Performance Director and Team Manager for the Team Ireland Athletics Squad, Paul McNamara said:

    “The Olympics is the pinnacle of our sport, and we must acknowledge the outstanding work athletes and coaches have put in to overcome the challenges of the last 15 months. The ‘end-game’ of the qualification period was excruciatingly difficult for many, but these athletes and their coaches expertly navigated the qualification system and have been rewarded with their place on the biggest stage. The resilience shown by these athletes has resulted in Ireland’s second biggest athletics team ever heading to a Games, and the highest ever number of individual qualifiers, all of whom are primed to take on the best in the world in just a few weeks’ time.”

Bios for Irish Olympic Athletes

Irish T&F Athletes

Individuals

Thomas Barr (400m Hurdles)

Síofra Cléirigh Büttner (800m)

Andrew Coscoran (1500m)

Mark English (800m)

Michelle Finn (3,000m Steeplechase)

Eilish Flanagan (3,000m Steeplechase)

Phil Healy (200m/400m/400m Relay)

Sarah Healy (1500m)

David Kenny (20K Walk)

Sarah Lavin (100H)

Marcus Lawler (200m)

Ciara Mageean (1500m)

Nadia Power (800m)

Leon Reid (200m)

Louise Shanahan (800m)

Mixed 4 x 400m Relay Team (4 athletes from the following 6):

Cillin Greene

Chris O’Donnell

Phil Healy

Sophie Becker

Robert McDonnell

Cliodhna Manning

Marathon

Aoife Cooke

Fionnuala McCormack

Paul Pollock

Stephen Scullion

Kevin Seaward

Walks

Alex Wright

Brendan Boyce


Team Ireland now consists of 114 officially selected athletes, making this the largest team to represent Ireland yet. There is one remaining team announcement (Judo) which will take place on the 12th July. The Olympic Games in Tokyo will run from the 23rd July to 8th August 2021

Six Cork Athletes Selected for European U20 Championships 2021

Six Athletes from Three Cork Clubs Selected for Irish U20 Team

European U20 Championships, Tallinn, Estonia

Thursday July 15th - Sunday July 18th 2021

Six athletes, including four from Bandon AC, have been selected by Athletics Ireland for the European Under 20 Championships, in Tallin, Estonia, from July 15th - 18th. The Cork members of the team are: Diarmuid O'Connor (Bandon AC), Fionn Harrington (Bandon AC), Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC), Nicola Tuthill (Bandon AC), James Ezeonu (Leevale AC) and Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC)
 

Diarmuid O'Connor, Bandon AC	LFionn Harrington, Bandon AC	Lauren McCourt, Bandon AC
Nicola Tuthill, Bandon AC	Maeve O'Neill, Doheny AC	James Ezeonu, Leevale AC

Cork Members on the Irish Under 20 Team

European Athletics Championships Page

Athletics Ireland Squad Announcement

Athletics Ireland has selected a Team of 33 athletes for the European U20 Championships due to take place in Tallinn, Estonia July 15th - 18th 2021

Irish Team

Athlete Transfer Deadline - August 24th 2021

Deadline - August 24th 2021

Cork Athletics Facebook page

Athletes wishing to transfer clubs are reminded that the deadline for the return of fully completed transfer forms is Tuesday August 24th.  Forms received after that date will NOT be accepted.

Transfer forms may be downloaded from the Athletics Ireland website.  

The Sequence and Procedure on the form MUST be followed.

Completed Transfer Forms

Completed forms should be given to Cork AAI County Board Registrar, John Copithorne, or posted to him at John Copithorne, Registrar Cork AAI County Board, Belgooley, Co. Cork.

• Do NOT call to John Copithorne's house

• Do NOT send your form by Registered Post, Courier or other form of delivery, except the regular Post

• Do NOT send your completed form to Athletics Ireland HQ (Dublin), as this will severely affect delivery time, likely missing the deadline.

Closing date is Tuesday August 24th

Completed Transfer Forms may be submitted at any stage, but will not be reviewed by Cork Athletics County Board until after August 24th. However early submission allows time for the return and resubmission of forms that are incomplete or contain an error of some form or other

The Transfer Form MUST be signed in the following order

By the:

•   Member (in the case of a minor, by their parent or guardian)

•   New Club

•   Outgoing Club

•   County Board (outgoing club)

•   Outgoing County Board (for out of county club transfer only)

•   Incoming County Board (for inter-county transfer only)

Incomplete, improperly, or incorrectly completed forms will be rejected.

Notes:

• Athletes must be in good stead with the outgoing club, i.e. they must not owe any membership  fee, or other arrears, and all club property in their possession must have been returned

• Athletes whose membership of the outgoing club has lapsed by more than three years do NOT require a transfer, i.e. they are free to change clubs without going through the formal transfer process - they can be simply registered by the incoming club.  Note: Effectively this means that anyone transferring, who has been registered in ANY of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 or 2021 will need to fill out a Transfer Form
  

Next Transfer Window, following August 24th 2021, will close on March 24th 2022

Irish Triple Crown on Day 3 of U20 European Championships

Triple Gold for Ireland Day 3 of European Under 20 T&F Championships 2021

Tallinn, Estonia

Saturday July 17th 2021

 

A Magnificent day for Irish athletics as Rhasidat Adeleke wins Women's 200m for Sprint Double, having won the 100m yesterday. Cian McPhillips followed up with his win the Men's 1500m...and we weren't finished yet, when, not long afterwards, Nicholas Griggs won the Men's 3000m.  Earlier the Irish 4x400m Women's Relay team, including Bandon AC's lauren McCourt and Doheny AC's Maeve O'Neill, qualified for tomorrow's final.  ...and throughout the day Bandon AC's Diarmuid O'Connor was knocking out PB's - 4 in all - on Day 1 of the Decathlon.


After Day 3, Ireland sits on top of the Medal Table - did we ever think we'd see this at any International Championships?
Well done to all the athletes and coaches! This didn't just happen by turning up on the day! 

Medal Table after Day 3

Womens 200m Final

Cian McPhillips, European U20 1500m Champion	Rhasidat Adeleke, European U20 200m Champion	Nicholas griggs, European U20 3000m Champion

Cian McPhillips - European U20 1500m Champion

 
Ireland's 4x400 Women Qualify for Final

 Lauren McCourt, Kate O'Connell, Caoimhe Cronin and Maeve O'Neill

 Ireand's Womens 4x400 team of Lauren McCourt produced a fabulous result today, qualifying for tomorrow evening's final as one of the non-automatic qualifiers, at the expense of the much fancied polish team. Bandon AC's Lauren McCourt ran the first leg in 55.28, for 3rd place. Next up was Kate O'Connell, who ran 55.88, for 5th. Doheny AC's Maeve O'Neill ran a superb leg, in 54.29, to bring Ireland back to 2nd. Caoimhe Cronin took the anchor leg, running 54.65, for an aggregate 3:39.80 and 5th place. Caoimhe maintained her position until the finishing straight, where she lost several places, but dug deep in the final 20m and got Ireland back into the qualifying places. The final is tomorrow evening, at 5pm

Mens Decathlon - Diarmuid O'Connor

Half-way through the two-day 10 event Decathlon, Bandon AC's Diarmuid O'Connor lies in 5th place, having produced no less than four PB's in his five first-day events:

110m - 11.15 sec PB
Long Jump - 7.01m PB
Shot Put - 13.61m
High Jump - 2.00m PB
400m - 49.12 sec PB

Diarmuid's introduction at start of 400m


Mens' 3000m - Fionn Harrington and Nicholas Griggs

Fionn Harrington, Bandon AC, and Nicholas Griggs both took out the early stages of the Men's 300m, with Fionn still 'in the mix' after the 2k mark, after which Griggs showed his class and took over. Griggs went for home with about 750m to go and there was no catching him, and he was extending his lead down the home straight

Fionn Harrington and Nicholas Griggs celebrate

Finish of 3000m

Full Results

Athletics Ireland Report - Day 3

 
Historic Record-Breaking Day for Irish Athletes in Tallinn

Rhasidat Adeleke, Cian McPhillips, and Nicholas Griggs created Irish athletics history by winning three gold medals on day 3 of the European U20 Championships in Tallinn.

It continued a stunning 24 hours for the Irish in Estonia, who only 24 hours previous were celebrating the Adeleke 100m gold on day 2.  The haul of now 4 gold medals sees Ireland currently sitting on top of the overall medal table heading into the final day of the championships. It already represents Ireland's most successful ever championships.

Adeleke (Tallaght AC) started the historic run of results in claiming the 200m gold medal to complete an historic sprint double, smashing her own Irish junior, U23 and senior 200m records in the process.

The Tallaght AC sprint star had eased through this morning's semi-final in 23.27 before going on to claim victory in the 200m final in the Irish record-breaking time of 22.90.

Adeleke was quick out of the blocks from the gun, but it was the now customary powerful surge around the home bend which saw her move clear of the field to take 0.6 off her own Irish record.

The 200m title completes the sprint double for Adeleke who claimed the 100m title yesterday in just as impressive style, making Adeleke the first athlete since Jodie Williams a decade ago to win a 100/200m double at the European U20 Championships.

Fan's may be treated to another appearance from the double European gold medallist, with the Ireland Women's 4 x 400m team set to take their place in the final tomorrow evening.

The team 4 x 400m team of Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC), Kate O'Connell (Lucan Harriers), Maeve O'Neill (Doheny AC), and Caoimhe Cronin (Le Cheile) put together a superb run of 3:39.80 (q) in this morning's heats to secure the place in the final which is set for 5.00pm (Sun 18th).

Irish fans did not have to wait long for another podium performance, with Cian McPhillips (Longford AC) looking all class as he took the 1500m gold medal. The Longford AC athlete provided the Irish in attendance with another moment to saviour as he powered down the home straight in a close fought battle with Rick Van Riel of the Netherlands.

McPhillips raced tactically perfect as he claimed his track position from the gun, before battling it out over the final 200m to cross the line in 3.46.55 (54 second last lap).

The performance from the Joe Lyons trained athlete was the first gold medal by an Irishman at the event since Colin Costello won the same title in 2005.

One of the biggest roars of the day was heard as 16-year old Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC) unlocked a final 2:31 kilometer to run away from the field in the 3000m final to claim yet another gold medal for Ireland.

Griggs, who suffered enormous personal tragedy only last month showed race management which belied his years to beat the best U20 athletes in Europe in stunning fashion, crossing the line in 8:17.18.

Fionn Harrington (Bandon AC) also battled on to finish 16th in Europe in a time of 8:29.71 (3000m), providing the Bandon athlete with some great championship experience over the last 3 days.

Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers) was in action in the Men's 200m final earlier in the evening. The Galway athlete secured his place in the final with a 21.29 semi-final performance before going on to claim 5th (21.18) in Europe to complete a brilliant weekend of competition for the Galway athlete. McDonnell now heads for Tokyo as part of the Olympic Mixed 4 x 400m relay team.  

Mullingar Harriers due of Matthew Glennon and Oisin Lane also had final fever in the 10k Walk. There was a brilliant 6th place finish for Lane (Mullingar Harriers) who crossed the line in a big personal best of 43:33.53. Matthew Gleenon (Mullingar Harriers) finished 22nd in Europe in a time of 45:53.44 in what was another blisteringly hot day for the endurance athletes.

Casey Mulvey (Innyvale AC) went in Group A qualifying of the Shot Put from early doors. Mulvey would finish with a best throw of 13.30m and was unlucky to foul on her final two attempts. Her 25th place was unfortunately not enough to progress to the next round. The David Sweeney trained athlete will be heading to De Paul University in Chicago in August and will have a great opportunity to progress further over the coming years.

Diarmuid O'Connor (Bandon AC) is right in contention after day 1 of the Men's Decathlon. O'Connor currently lies within 49 points of a podium spot on the back of 3 PBs across his 4 events today, which included him smashing his High Jump PB with a 2.00M clearance. The Bandon athlete moved from 10th to 5th over the course of the day for a cumulative score of 4006.

Day 4 - Sunday July 18th

Diarmuid O'Connor will again be first of the Irish in action on day 4 as he continues his Decathlon competition from 7.30am. His final event of the day will be the 1500m set for 4.37pm.

The heats of the Men's 4 x 100m will see four of the relay team (Israel Olatunde, Adam Sykes, Charles Okafor, Cilian Griffin, James Ezeonu, Sean Harding) take to the Tallinn track for 9.00am. The team will be hoping for a double appearance on day 4 with the final scheduled for 2.50pm.

Aoife McGreevy (Lagan Valley AC) & Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) will be last of the Irish to make their Estonian debuts. They are set to take to the line in the Women's 5,000m finals, which again look set to be split into A and B.

The Women's 4 x 400m relay team will round of the Irish involvement at these historic championships.

Sunday 18th

7.30am: Men's Decathlon (110m Hurdles) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

9.00am: Men's 4 x 100m Relay Heats

8:25am: Men's Decathlon (Discus) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

11:30am: Men's Decathlon (Pole Vault) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

2:20/3:25pm: Men's Decathlon (Javelin) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

2.50pm: Men's 4 x 100m Relay Final

3.38pm/4.05pm: Women's 5000m Finals (A & B) - Aoife McGreevy (Lagan Valley AC) & Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers)

4.37pm: Men's Decathlon Final Event (1500m) - Diarmuid O'Connor Bandon AC

5.00pm: Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final

Irish Progress on Day 1 of European U20 Championships 2021

O'Neill & Harrington Progress on Day 1 of European Under 20 T&F Championships 2021

Tallinn, Estonia

July 15th 2021

Maeve O'Neill Qualifies for European U20 800m Semi-Final

Maeve O'Neill Starts in Lane 4

Maeve O'Neill, Doheny AC, ran 2:07.91 in Heat 2 this morning to qualify for tomorrow afternoon's Semi-Final, in one of the non-automatic slots. Her time was marginally behind her PB of 2:07.47, set two weeks ago at the SMSA Chps, in MTU track, Cork. Her performance was all the more remarkable, as it was run in temperatures of around 31C

Official Results

Athletics Ireland Report

Irish athletes book places in European Finals

Irish athletes were on fire on an exceptionally hot day 1 of the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

Irish record breaker Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) secured her place in tomorrow’s 100m final in the most impressive of fashion. The Tallaght athlete breezed through the early morning heats, crossing the line in first place in heat 2 in a time of 11.37 before going on to finish in first place in her semi-final in 11.38 (second fastest overall).

Adeleke looked very comfortable in both races and will head into tomorrow’s final (3.20pm Irish time) as one of the leading favourites for the title. Phil Healy’s Irish 100m record of 11.28 may also come under threat should race day conditions remain as they were today.

Israel Olatunde (UCD AC) was also in the blocks for the Men’s 100m, securing his progress through the heats with an impressive second place finish in 10.56 to progress to the afternoon’s semi-final. Olatunde exploded from the start to cross the lie in 10.51 in his semi-final which was just outside the time needed to progress to tomorrow’s final.

Cian McPhillips (Longford AC) claimed his place in the Men’s 1500m final with the most professional of performances. The Longford athlete had plenty in the tank as he crossed the line in third to take one of the automatic qualification places for Saturday’s final in 3:48.67. Sean Donoghue (Celtic DCH) went in the first to the 1500m heats and fought all the way to the line, but unfortunately his 3.51.64 was not enough to advance to the next round.

The trio of Fionn Harrington (Bandon AC), Tadhg Donnelly (Drogheda & District), and Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC) went in the heats of the 3000m. Griggs looked ultra-smooth in claiming one of the automatic qualification places for the final on Saturday evening in 8.26.04, while he will also be joined by Harrington who secured one of the fastest qualifier places in 8.28.91. Tadhg Donnelly did not progress to the final on this occasion, but will no doubt be back in the Irish singlet for years to come.

Doheny AC’s Maeve O'Neill was another to advance on a superb day one for the Irish. O’Neill ran the race of her life and advances to the semi-finals of the 800m (Friday 2.50pm Irish time) in a PB of 2:07.91.

Conor Cusack (Lake District AC) threw a 65.56m best in the Men’s Javelin which was just half a meter outside advancing to the final. The UL student has made great progress this year and although he would have wanted to progress, he will take great encouragement from his recent national title win which sees him now ranked 5th on the Irish all-time list.

Day 2 (Friday July 16th)

National U20 Hammer champion and Senior silver medalist Nicola Tuthill has been gradually increasing her PB to a new best of 61.55m. She has moved up to the 4kg implement this year and normally this takes a bit of adjustment, but she has made the transition well and the future is very promising for the young Bandon thrower. Tuthill will be first of the Irish in action on day 2 in the Women’s Hammer (8.00am).

Ava O'Connor (Tullamore Harriers AC) and Eoin Quinn (Mullingar Harriers AC) will line up in stacked fields in both of their respective 1500m and 800m heats, while Alan Miley (St L O'Toole AC) will also be another of the early starters as he takes his place in the heats of the 400mH from 10.50am.

All eyes will be on Rhasidat Adeleke from 3.20pm as she bids for glory in the Women’s 100m final.

Team Ireland look to have another strong hand in the Men’s 5000m with Abdel Laadjel (Donore Harriers), Callum Morgan (St. Malachy's AC), and Dean Casey (Ennis Track Club) arriving here on the back of impressive national championship performances. Laadjel and Casey are currently ranked within the top 10 in Europe (U20 5,000m).

Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC) set a new 200m PB of 24.16 at the recent national senior championships and will join Irish 200m record holder Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) in the heats of the 200m from 5.20pm. Adeleke set the stunning 22.96 200m Irish record in the Manhattan earlier this year.

Galway’s Olympic bound sprinter Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers) will conclude the Irish competing on day two as he looks to book his place in the 200m semi-finals (Heats 5.45pm). McDonnell comes into the championships buoyed by some breath-taking performances of late which included a 20.93 which ranks him 3rd coming into this weekend.

Friday 16th  Schedule

8.00am: Women’s Hammer Qualifying A & B – Nicola Tuthill (Bandon AC)

9.20am: Women’s 1500m Heats - Ava O'Connor (Tullamore Harriers AC)

9.45am: Men’s 800m Heats - Eoin Quinn (Mullingar Harriers AC)

10.50am: Men’s 400m Hurdles Heats - Alan Miley (St L O'Toole AC)

2.50pm: Women’s 800m Semi-Final - Maeve O’Neill (Doheny AC)

3.20pm: Women’s 100m Final - Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC)

4.55pm: Men’s 5000m Final - Abdel Laadjel (Donore Harriers), Callum Morgan (St. Malachy's AC), Dean Casey (Ennis Track Club)

5.20pm: Women’s 200m Heats - Lauren McCourt (Bandon AC) & Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC)

5.45pm: Men’s 200m Heats - Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers)

Echo Mini-Marathon Medal Unveiled - July 9th 2021

Medal for Echo Virtual Women's Mini-Marathon 2021 Unveiled

September 16th - 26th 2021

Virtual Women's Mini-Marathon Medal 2021

Start of Cork Women's Mini-Marathon 2015


This year's Mini-Marathon will again be a virtual event!  Event organisers, Cork Athletics County Board, are committed to ensuring that Cork's women, who walk and and run the event every year, and, in doing so, raise over €1M for their chosen charities, will not miss out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, again, the focus will be on facilitating participants fund raise for charity, at a time when charities have been badly hit by cancelled collections and flag days, along with closure of their charity shops, and many other fundraising activities.

The Echo Cork Womens Mini-Marathon

Sponsors:

The Flagship Sponsor for the past 39 years has been The Echo

Echo Mini-Marathon Page

Register for Echo Virtual Women's Mini-Marathon 2021

This year we are celebrating the 40th Echo Women’s Mini-Marathon. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the event will be a virtual one again this year, and we are hoping that as many people as possible will take part to help support the many Cork charities who rely on the event’s participants to raise much-needed funds every year.

Cork Athletics is still proceeding with plans for a live 'In-Person' event on the Marina, and a decision will be made on this in the coming month or so, as there are many new 'hurdles' to be overcome due to Covid-19, and much will depend on Government and Sport Ireland advice/regulations

Statement from Cork Athletics

At present, it isn't clear if an 'In-Person' live event will be able to go ahead this year, so we have opened entries for our Virtual Women's Mini-Marathon.

A decision on the live event will be made as early as possible, but if you register for the virtual event, you will have the option of changing to an 'In-person' entry if you wish.

The Virtual Event will go ahead even if a live event becomes possible. The Early-Bird offer of €5 entry discount will close if/when entry opens for the 'In-Person' event, with Early-Bird entrants retaining their €5 discount on the live event

The Virtual Event will still run alongside the Live Event

About the Event

The event is 6km and you can complete that however you want either by walking, running or jogging in your back garden!

If the live race cannot go ahead again this year, we encourage you to join us virtually in the spirit of the event on what would have been race day on September 19th, and complete your 6k, (Please  adhere to all Government guidelines regarding public safety and social distancing that are in place at the time that you are doing your 6K).

The results portal will be open from September 16th, but if you can’t complete your 6K on September 19th, you can also do it anytime between September 16th and September 26th, then upload your results to download your certificate of completion

Charities

The Charities are massive beneficiaries from the funds you all raise each year, but as you will be aware, they have have been hit very badly during Covid, with flag-days and fundraisers of all sorts being cancelled. Cork Athletics urges all participants to 'row in' behind their own chosen charity when doing the Echo Cork Women's Mini-Marathon.

Charity Fundraising

To fund raise for your own chosen charity, pleas Register for the Echo Cork Women's Mini-Marathon, then contact your selected Charity directly, for their fund-raising pack

You can also donate, during the Registration process, to a number of charities, or cheate your own fund-raising page via iDonate, during Registration (Note: These funds are collected directly via iDonate)

Direct Donations

You can also donate directly to your chosen charity at the Registration stage. Just use the drop-down list to choose your charity and the amount you wish to donate to it

iDonate Page

If you wish, you can also set up a fundraising page for your chosen charity. Again, just select your charity from the list. After completing your registration you will get a separate email, from iDonate, with details on how to activate your page. if you don't want to set up an iDonate page, just leave that box blank

Charities - Would You like to be Listed?

If you are a charity, and would like to be part of the charity list (on the Registration Page) please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

General Queries

For general queries, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 
Results

A complete Mini-Marathon results and picture pull-out souvenier section will appear in the Echo, a day or two (TBA) after the event. The results will also be available online, on MyRunResults and Cork Athletics websites.

Mini-Marathon Event Proceeds

All profits from the Echo Women's Mini Marathon go directly to Cork County Board of Athletics Ireland. The proceeds are used to develop, promote and foster athletics in Cork. Cork Athletics is a not-for-profit, entirely voluntary, organisation, and is a Registered Sports Body.  All race stewards and officials are unpaid volunteers, drawn largely from the athletic community.

Charlie O'Donovan runs in 1500m on Day 1 of European U23 Championships

European Under 23 T&F Championships 2021

Tallinn, Estonia

 Day 1 - July 8th 2021

Members of Irish Contingent in Tallinn

Charlie O'Donovan, Leevale AC

Charlie O'Donovan, Leevale AC, runs in the heats of the Men's 1500m at the European U23 T&F Championships, in Tallinn, Estonia, on opening day, Thursday July 8th. Charlie's race goes at 15:35pm Irish time and can be followed on the European Athletics YouTube Channel

European Athletics Championships Page

Final Entry List - All Countries

Full Timetable

Livestream

The Championships will be livestreamed via European Athletics

Busy Day 1 for the Irish in Tallinn

A big squad of 29 athletes have travelled to represent Ireland at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia July 8th - 11th 2021

Full Irish squad selection

Latest Timetable

Live results

Athletics Ireland Preview

Busy Day 1 (Times listed are Irish time)

Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) will be first in action for the Irish with the Women’s Discus set to start at 7.45am (Group A). Fogarty comes into the championships in flying form having secured the national senior title recently with a 53.73 PB throw.

Heptathlete Kate O’Connor is going to have a busy start to her championships, with the Dundalk St. Gerard's star starting proceedings in the 100mH from 9.10am before setting sights on the High Jump, Shot Put, and 200m later in the day.

O'Connor returns to European Championship action with joyful memories having won a historic heptathlon silver at the European Under-20 Athletics Championships in Sweden in 2019. It was the first time Ireland medalled in the heptathlon at any level.

O'Connor picked up in 2021 where she had left off the previous year and smashed the Irish Heptathlon record (6297 points) to take second at the Multistars World Athletics Combined Events Challenge in Italy last April.

Much like O’Connor’s action-packed schedule on Day 1, the Irish will be competing thick and fast right throughout the day.  

Aoife Lynch (Donore Harriers), Gina Akpe-Moses (Blackrock AC), and Molly Scott (SLOT) will all be looking to make their way safely through the tricky 100m heats from 10.00am. The semi-finals are scheduled for later in the evening (6.15pm).

Jack Mitchell (SLOT) is set to take to the track in the 400m Hurdles from 10.55am. Mitchell has been in tremendous form over recent weeks and will be looking to carry that national championship momentum into tomorrow's heats.

Sean Mockler (Moycarkey Coolcroo AC) is in qualifying action for the Men’s Hammer 11.55am (Group B)

The evening session will see Charlie O’Donovan (Leevale AC) looking to book his place in Saturday s 1500m final. The Leevale AC athlete is set to go in the heats from 3.35pm Irish time

Charlie O'Donovan, Leevale AC

David McGlynn (Waterford AC) and Matthew Neill (Strive Racing) will be taking their places in the stacked 10,000m final from 4.50pm.

Thursday July 8th (Irish Time)

    7.45am Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) Discus

    8.40am Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers) 400m

    9.30am Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerard’s AC) (100m Hep)

    11.55am Sean Mockler (Moycarkey Coolcroo AC) Hammer

    10.00am Aoife Lynch (Donore Harriers) 100m

    10.00am Gina Akpe-Moses (Blackrock AC) 100m

    10.00am Molly Scott (SLOT) 100m

    10.55am Jack Mitchell (SLOT) 400mH

Evening Session

    3.35pm Charlie O’Donovan (Leevale AC) 1500m

    4.50pm David McGlynn (Waterford AC) and Matthew Neill (Strive Racing) 10,000 Final

    6.35pm 100m SF

Three Cork Athletes Selected to Represent Ireland at 100k Celtic Plate

Hogan, Mullins and O'Keeffe on Irish 100k Teams

Anglo Celtic Plate 100Km Home International

Mondello Park, Naas, Kildare

Saturday 21st August 2021

Padraig Mullins, St Finbarrs AC	Aidan Hogan, Rising Sun AC	Dave O'Keeffe, Togher AC

Three Cork athletes, Padraig Mullins, St Finbarr's AC, Aidan Hogan, Rising Sun AC and Dave O'Keeffe, Togher AC, have been selected for the Ireland teams at next month's Anglo Celtic Plate 100Km Home International, which incorporates the Athletics Ireland 50k and 100k Championships, in Mondello Park, Naas, Kildare, on Saturday 21st August 2021

Irish Teams

Hosted by Donadea 100K, and incorporating Athletics Ireland 50k & 100K Championships

Athletics Ireland Release

"A very strong team will be competing in both the women’s and men’s race.  Also included is the addition of a B Team and individuals for developmental purposes. This is to improve the standard of 100K running and prepare athletes for future opportunities at European and World Championship competition.

This will be the first running of the Donadea 100K with a limited number of places in the open race that includes the Athletics Ireland 100K Championships. It is hoped that this will become an annual event and will encourage more participation at the distance
Women’s A Team"

 
Further Information on Donadea 50k Facebook Page