Fiona Everard Selected for World XC Championships 2024
Fiona Everard One of Eight Irish Selected for World Cross-Country Championships
Belgrade, Serbia
Saturday March 30th 2024
Fiona Everard, Bandon AC & Ireland
Fiona Everard, Bandon AC, Irish Senior Cross-Country Champion is the only Cork athlete among a strong octet of Irish athletes selected for the World Cross-Country Championships, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, at the end of this month, on Saturday March 30th.
Unfortunately, even with eight high-calibre representatives, and a European location, Ireland is only sending two athletes in each of the Senior Men, Senior Women and Under-20 Men's events
Irish Squad for World Cross-Country Championships 2024
| Event | Athlete | Club | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| U20 Women | Anna Gardiner | East Down AC | Peter Morgan |
| U20 Women | Kirsty Maher | Moy Valley | Andy Bibby & Phillip Finnerty |
| U20 Men | Harry Colbert | Waterford AC | Des Colbert |
| U20 Men | Seamus Robinson | City of Derry Spartans AC | Martin Robinson |
| Senior Women | Danielle Donegan | Tullamore Harriers | Emmett Dunleavy |
| Senior Women | Fiona Everard | Bandon AC | Matt Lockett |
| Senior Men | Hugh Armstrong | Ballina AC | Feidhlim Kelly |
| Senior Men | Keelan Kilrehill | Mov Valley AC | Emmett Dunleavy |
World Cross Country Championships Website & Timetable
| Belgrade Time | Irish Time | sex | event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | 10:00 | W | U20 Race |
| 11:35 | 10:35 | M | U20 Race |
| 12:15 | 11:15 | X | Mixed Relay |
| 12:45 | 11:45 | W | Senior Race |
| 13:30 | 12:30 | M | Senior Race |
Athletics Ireland Release
EIGHT ATHLETES TO REPRESENT IRELAND AT WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Athletics Ireland has selected eight athletes to represent Ireland at the World Cross Country Championships that take place in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday 30th March
Fiona Everard (Bandon AC) and Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers AC) will once again don the green singlet in the Senior Women’s 10,000m race
Everard caused a major surprise when she became 123.ie national senior cross country champion in November 2023 in Gowran and then went on to finish 34th at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels. The Galway based athlete will be looking to produce a strong performance in the Serbian capital
Donegan, who is the reigning U23 national cross country champion, finished 8th in her age category at those championships in Belgium and will be hoping for a positive start to her time in the senior athletics ranks
Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC) and Hugh Armstrong (Ballina AC) came close to making the podium as part of the Senior Men’s team who finished fourth at the European Cross Country Championships last year. Both athletes placed inside the top twenty that day in gruelling conditions and they will once again be aiming for good results as they take to action in the Senior Men’s 10,000m
Two of the gold medal winning Irish U20 Men’s team from those championships in Belgium will make the journey to Belgrade. Seamus Robinson (City of Derry Spartans AC) and Harry Colbert (Waterford AC) will be aiming to emulate their heroics from that memorable day in December as they race over 8,000m
Anna Gardiner (East Down AC) and Kirsty Maher (Moy Valley AC) will return to international action in the U20 Women’s 6,000m race. Gardiner looked seriously impressive when claiming the Senior Girls title at the 123.ie All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships last weekend and will look to build on that performance and her top ten finish at the European Cross Country Championships last year
Maher last represented Ireland at the Celtic International Cross Country in Scotland in January where she won bronze and will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to be back in green again following her top fifteen finish in Brussels
Mark Kenneally, Athletics Ireland Performance Endurance Lead, commented on the selection:
“I am delighted to see Irish athletes returning to the World Cross Country Championships,” he said
“Following a very successful European Cross Country Championships in December in Brussels I think this represents a great opportunity for some of our athletes to further develop their racing skills at the highest level and will undoubtedly serve as valuable experience in this regard.”
“The athletes selected have had a very successful Cross Country season to date and the World Championships will be a fitting place for them to round out their seasons,” Kenneally added
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