Three previous medal winners are among the 38 Irish athletics selected for the European Championships which get under way in the Munich Olympic Stadium beginning on Monday week, August 15th.
Thomas Barr of Ferrybank AC won bronze in the 400 metres hurdles four years ago in Berlin and is back seeking another podium place, as is Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn AC) who won 1,500m bronze in 2016, and Mark English (Finn Valley AC), who also won 800m bronze in Zurich in 2014.
They will spearhead the Irish team alongside world Indoor 60m hurdles finalist Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC).
Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) will race the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay, one of three relay teams along with a men’s 4x100m and women’s 4x100m.
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The women’s 4x400m team looks particularly strong with Adeleke joined by Phil Healy (Bandon AC), Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock), Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers), and Roisin Harrison (Emerald AC).
Four-time Olympian Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole AC) heads up a strong women’s marathon team, all previously selected, which also includes Aoife Cooke (Eagle AC) and Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC).
McCormack will be joined in Munich by several fellow Tokyo Olympians including Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) and Sarah Healy (UCD AC) in the 1,500m, Louise Shanahan (Leevale AC) in the 800m, David Kenny (Farranfore Maine Valley AC) in the 20km walk, and Brendan Boyce (Finn Valley AC) in the 35km walk.
Also selected in the heptathlon is Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerards AC), and the recent Under-23 record-breaking UCD pair of Darragh McElhinney in the 5,000m and Israel Olatunde in the 100m.
The 4x400m mixed relay, where Ireland made the final at last month’s world Championships and last year’s Tokyo Olympics, is not yet part of the European Championships programme.
The team also includes sprinter Leon Reid, who was barred from participating in the 2022 Commonwealth Games following a “security risk assessment.” The Olympic semi-finalist was given a suspended sentence in February after he was found guilty of allowing crack cocaine to be produced in his flat in the city of Bristol in southwest England; however he has been cleared to compete in Munich.
Irish athletics team, European Championships Munich, Aug 15-21st.
Fionnuala McCormack Marathon Kilcoole AC
Rhasidat Adeleke 400m & 4x400m Relay Tallaght AC
Thomas Barr 400mH Ferrybank AC
David Kenny 20km Walk Farranfore Maine Valley
Louise Shanahan 800m Leevale AC
Sarah Healy 1500m UCD AC
Kate O’Connor Heptathlon Dundalk St. Gerards AC
Chris O’Donnell 400m North Sligo AC
Sarah Lavin 100mH Emerald AC
Mark English 800m Finn Valley AC
Luke McCann 1500m UCD AC
Hiko Haso 10,000m DSD AC
Brendan Boyce 35km Walk Finn Valley AC
Brian Fay 5000m Raheny Shamrock AC
Darragh McElhinney 5000m UCD AC
Andrew Coscoran 1500m Star of the Sea AC
Eilish Flanagan 3000mSC Finn Valley AC
Michelle Finn 3000mSC Leevale AC
Efrem Gidey 10,000m Clonliffe Harriers AC
Aoife Cooke Marathon Eagle AC
Phil Healy 400m & 4x400m Relay Bandon AC
Ciara Mageean 800m & 1500m City of Lisburn AC
John Fitzsimons 800m Kildare AC
Ann Marie McGlynn Marathon Letterkenny AC
Hugh Armstrong Marathon Ballina AC
Sophie Becker 400m & 4x400m Relay Raheny Shamrock AC
Marcus Lawler 200m & 4x100m Relay Clonliffe Harriers AC
Alex Wright 35km Walk Leevale AC
Israel Olatunde 100m & 4x100m Relay UCD AC
Roisin Flanagan 5000m Finn Valley AC
Eric Favors Shot Put Raheny Shamrock AC
Sharlene Mawdsley 4x400m Relay Newport AC
Cliodhna Manning 4x400m Relay Kilkenny City Harriers
Roisin Harrison 4x400m Relay Emerald AC
Joseph Ojewumi 4x100m Relay Tallaght AC
Mark Smyth 4x100m Relay Raheny Shamrock AC
Colin Doyle 4x100m Relay Leevale AC
Leon Reid 4x100m Relay Menapians AC
