Improved coaching, facilities and funding helped Ireland’s athletes reach their potential at the European Championships
Ireland's Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley celebrate winning silver at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.
For decades, the lack of proper indoor facilities was particularly galling, and it wasn’t until 2013, after more than 30 years of waiting, when the doors were opened on the World Athletics standard indoor track at the Athlone Institute of Technology, which Eamonn Coghlan himself described as “the most historic day in Irish athletics”. This current generation of athletes are starting to show the benefits of that investment now.
Things have also been improving on the participation and popularity front, right across the sport, with Athletics Ireland last year reaching its highest membership figure of 63,578, and hitting more than 60,000 for 2024 at this point of the year already. It helped, too, that Ireland sent its largest team of athletes to Rome, and there was unquestionably a greater depth of talent and experience about it too. The women’s 4x400m relay certainly rose to the occasion during Wednesday night’s closing session, Sophie Becker,Though still only 21, Adeleke is already a seasoned championship runner, winning underage championship medals on the European and global stage since age 15.
Last month, she also secured her individual 400m qualifying spot for Paris, improving her best from 51.09 to 50.72, and the 25-year-old is clearly now coming into her athletic prime, running a remarkable five races in six days in Rome. It should also be noted, though, that the medal success of these European Championships will be extremely difficult to match at theBefore Rome, O’Sullivan had been the sole gold medal winner for Ireland in the 90-year history of these championships, first staged in Turin in 1934. Her first victory in the 3,000m in Helsinki in 1994 was then only Ireland’s fourth medal in all.
“It was unbelievable, though, the amount of people who were talking about athletics, and before that probably didn’t even know the event was on. All of sudden, everyone was tuning in, it was crazy. But there’s still a long way to go for the Irish athletes, it’s not like the end of the season, it’s not even the middle of it.
Ciara-Mageean Rhasidat-Adeleke Sharlene-Mawdsley Paris-2024 Olympic-Games Olympic-Federation-Of-Ireland Sport-Ireland
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
European Athletics Championship schedule for Irish athletes todayPlenty of Irish stars are in action in Rome today at the European Athletics Championship.
Read more »
Mary Hannigan: No superlatives remaining for Irish athletes in RomeRhasidat Adeleke, Ciara Mageean and Thomas Barr all go again after gold medal success; Limerick hurlers make more history
Read more »
A ‘fantastic achievement’: President and Taoiseach lead tributes to gold medal winners at European Athletics ChampionshipsTánaiste praises ‘outstanding performance’ on a night of Irish athletics history in Rome
Read more »
Sonia O’Sullivan: Irish eyes turn to potential record European medal haul in RomeIt is now 49 days to the start of the Paris Olympics, some events may feel a little diluted, given some countries are missing some of the best athletes who rather focus all their efforts on the Olympics
Read more »
Tom Barr ready to go out with a bang if this is his last year on the trackThe Irish Olympian is gearing up for the European Athletics Championships in Rome this week
Read more »
Here's Everything Team STELLAR Is Loving This WeekSTELLAR Magazine, Irish Fashion, Irish Women's Magazine, Irish Beauty, shops in Ireland, celebrity news, glossy magazine, Fade Street, make-up tips, Irish style, Vip Magazine Group
Read more »