Irish athletes have arrived in Scotland ahead of the World Athletics Championships which take place at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow from 1-3 March.
The Irish team will join over 600 athletes from 130 nations. The championships welcome a star-studded entry list which contains twenty reigning world champions and seven gold medallists from the Tokyo Olympics.
Leading out the Irish on day 1 of these championships, which will be broadcast live on Virgin Media 2, will be Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) who was one of Ireland’s standout performers at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Limerick’s @sarahlavin_ is back in the blocks at another World Indoor Champs on Sunday 🙌🤩
Tune into @VMSportIE to see the @EmeraldAC star take to a stacked field in the heats of the 60m hurdles from 10.25am on Sunday 🇮🇪@worldathletics | @Ask123ie | @sportireland… pic.twitter.com/dD7lzNLU7n— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) February 29, 2024
Mawdsley goes into tomorrow’s 400m ranked 13th based on her season’s best and will very much have sights set on progressing to the evening’s semi-final. World record-holder Femke Bol heads a stacked 400m field which will likely result in Mawdsley having to threaten her PB of 51.91 to progress.
Mawdsley also looks set to play a leading role on the women’s 4x400m relay team who will take to the heats on Sunday morning with eyes once again set on making another global final. There are nine countries entered in the women’s 4x400m relay which includes teams from leading medal favourites Jamaica, USA, and the Netherlands.
The women’s 4x400m relay team has proved to be one of Ireland’s most consistent performers at major championships however and another huge showing can be expected from the team of Mawdsley, Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock AC), Phil Healy (Bandon AC), Roisin Harrison (Emerald AC), Rachel McCann (North Down AC), and Lauren Cadden (Sligo AC). The final is set for 8.30pm on Sunday.
21-year-old Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC) will take to the blocks in the opening session of day 1, with the three-time national 60m champion taking to another major championship in the heats of the 60m from 1.10pm on Friday.
The 2022 European 100m finalist has raced sparingly this season with Olatunde proven at saving his best for championship racing. Ranked outside the top 30 on his season’s best, it’s likely Olatunde will need a mid 6.6 to make the evening’s semi-final.
The World Indoor Championships are less than 24 hours away as Team Ireland get ready to challenge for medals on the elite stage once again! #vmsport #athletics #wicglasgow24 #ireland pic.twitter.com/X3we5DF353
— Will Dalton (@WillDalton01) February 29, 2024
Sarah Healy (UCD AC) will lead out Ireland in tomorrow’s evening session as she takes to the heats of the 1500m from 7.05pm. Healy broke the Irish senior indoor 1500m record with a stunning 4.03.83 earlier this month and it’s reported that her team feel she is capable of going even faster should race conditions allow.
Healy is ranked 5th on her season’s best, and should she safely negotiate the tricky heats, the UCD athlete can expect to face a tactically run race in the final on Sunday which looks set to be dominated by Ethiopia who boast the top three ranked athletes in the field.
Irish fans will have to wait until the evening session on day 2 to cheer on Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) who is set to take her place in a stacked women’s 3,000m final.
Flanagan, who is based in Colorado in the United States, recently set an Irish record over 2 Miles (9:36.70) when competing at the Millrose Games on February 11th in New York.
Her previous major track championship experience came at the 2022 European Championships in Munich where she finished 14th in the 5000m, a position that she looks well capable of bettering on Saturday.
Sunday morning will see the return of Limerick’s Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) who travels to Glasgow on the back of a string of outstanding performances, most recently clocking an equal PB of 7.91 on her way to claiming her sixth national indoor 60m hurdles title.
Lavin once again will face a world class field but will undoubtably be looking to replicate her appearance in the 60m hurdles final at these championships in 2022.
The national 100m hurdles record holder has already set a personal best over the shorter distance this indoor season (7.91), and in recent years Lavin has improved 0.14 from season opener to her season’s best which bodes well for another huge weekend for one of Ireland’s most consistent championships performers.
✨Team Ireland arrive in Glasgow✨
Irish athletes have arrived in Scotland ahead of the @WorldAthletics Champs which take place in Glasgow from 1-3 March⤵️https://t.co/lcGpIByOFs@sportireland | @Ask123ie | @EuroAthletics | @VMSport | #WorldIndoorChamps pic.twitter.com/02gxT3pDMZ— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) February 29, 2024
Useful links
Timetable Here
Entry list by Season Best Here
Live Coverage on Virgin Media 2
Team Ireland Schedule:
Friday March 1st
10.20am Women’s 400m Heats – Sharlene Mawdsley
13.10pm Men’s 60m Heats – Israel Olatunde
19.05pm Women’s 1500m Heats – Sarah Healy
19.45pm Men’s 60m Semi-Final
20.50pm Women’s 400m Semi-Final
21.45 Men’s 60m Final
Saturday March 2nd
20.15pm Women’s 3,000m Final – Roisin Flanagan
21.00pm Women’s 400m Final
Sunday March 3rd
10.25am Women’s 60m Hurdles Heats – Sarah Lavin
11.38am Women’s 4x400m Relay Heats
19.40pm Women’s 60m Hurdles Semi-Final
20.30pm Women’s 4x400m Final
21.00pm Women’s 60m Hurdles Final
21.45pm Women’s 1500m Final
Selections:
Athlete Name/ Event(s) / Club / Coach(es)
Sarah Healy/ 1500m/ UCD AC / Trevor Painter & Jenny Meadows
Sarah Lavin / 60m Hurdles / Emerald AC /Noelle Morrissey
Israel Olatunde / 60m / Tallaght AC / Daniel Kilgallon
Sharlene Mawdsley / W4x400m, 400m (pending confirmation of qualification status by WA) / Newport AC / Gary Ryan
Sophie Becker / W4x400m / Raheny Shamrock AC / Jeremy Lyons & Gerard O’Donnell
Phil Healy/ W4x400m / Bandon AC / Shane McCormack
Roisin Harrison / W4x400m / Emerald AC /Eoghan McNamara
Rachel McCann / W4x400m / North Down AC / Michael Roberts
Lauren Cadden* / W4x400m / Sligo AC / Dermot McDermott
Non Travelling Relay Reserve
Niamh Murray / W4x400m / Bray Runners / Áine Murray
* Selection subject to proving form and fitness.
