Like many things in life, you never forget the first time. The 153rd National Track and Field Championships take place this weekend at the Morton Stadium in Santry, the longest consecutively staged championships in the world.
That makes for a lot of national champions since 1873, who every year get presented with the gold medal as the All-Ireland title winner in their event. Since the GAA All-Ireland finals have been moved to July, the championships have sometimes overlapped, and for most athletes winning a national title in track and field means every bit as much as it would in football, hurling or camogie.
It’s their All-Ireland medal, and I think most athletes best remember the first time they win one. It often comes at a time when they are embarking on to the international stage, and when winning a national title becomes a landmark moment in their career.
I can certainly remember my first time, winning the National Cross-Country in 1987, at age 17, then winning my first senior title on the track that summer, in the 1,500m. In the years after there were many excursions and international flights to get back for the National Championships, often as a requirement to be selected for a championship team.
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Every year has its own story, but 1987 always stands out as I was racing senior athletes I only knew from reading about in the Irish Runner and Marathon magazines. You also remember your last one, which for me was in 2003, in the 5,000m, which made for 14 in all.
In a small country like Ireland, where the depth is not always strong across all track and field events, once an athlete makes it to the top then they will start to set bigger international ambitions. The hope is they will come back to defend their title, but for a variety of reasons that won’t always be the case.
We see this now with Rhasidat Adeleke, who has decided to bypass Santry this weekend and focus instead on her recovery from recent races and preparations the World Championships in Tokyo in September. That must be her priority, especially after her early-season races haven’t exactly gone to plan. She won the 100m title last year in an Irish record of 11.13 seconds, also winning that title in 2021 and 2022.
Tokyo is coming up fast now, and while it’s unfortunate for the championships this weekend, you will always have some top athletes who can’t be there because of injury.
Other athletes will often take the opportunity to move away from their favoured event, especially if they are already qualified for the upcoming championships. We’ll see that this weekend with Sarah Healy, who is moving down to the 800m, the event she won last year, and that will also be a useful tune-up in terms of race speed.
[ Rhasidat Adeleke to sit out National Championships in favour of recoveryOpens in new window ]
Some top athletes, for whatever reason, don’t necessarily want to race their favoured event, in case that results in some surprise defeat on home soil. For other athletes on the cusp of qualification, or outside the qualifying standard, winning a national title can add some valuable ranking points.
There will be plenty of exciting action on the track and field, climaxing with the men’s 1,500m final on Sunday evening, the last event in the RTÉ live TV window from 5-7.30pm.
All the main contenders are down to race here, and the rivalry between Cathal Doyle and Andrew Coscoran continues after their recent battle across the lanes in the final 100m at the Morton Games. Doyle will be going for his fourth title in a row, while Coscoran has not been atop the podium since 2021.
There will be no pacemakers this time, so this opens the door for a fast-finishing Daragh McElhinney, Shane Bracken or Nick Griggs, who may have something to prove if given a chance in a slow tactical race.
Sharlene Mawdsley will likely move down to 200m, suitably recovered it seems from her recent early morning road-running sprint action after Tipperary won the All-Ireland hurling final. Brian Fay will also return from a training block in Spain to defend his 5,000m title.
Nicola Tuthill has been in excellent form this season in the hammer, winning silver at the European Under-23 Championships and then at the World University Games, and she will also be defending her national title and hoping to add a fourth gold medal to her growing collection. The ranking points would also help seal qualification for Tokyo.
Anika Thompson has also had a memorable few weeks, winning European Under-23 gold in the 10,000m, the bronze in the 5,000m, and she’ll be chasing her first national title over 5,000m.
The dream matchup race would be Mark English and Cian McPhillips over the 800m, both athletes in the best form of their life, and now the two fastest men in Irish 800m history. At the Morton Games, McPhillips won the 800m in 1:44.19, second only to the national record of 1:43.92, which English set in June.
Both are entered in the 800m but English is also down for the 400m, so we won’t know until declarations are made for the heats on Saturday afternoon what race English will line up for, if any. The men’s 400m could also provide some excitement with mixed relay spots for Tokyo on the line.
Kate O’Connor is also fresh from winning the heptathlon gold medal at the World University Games, improving her own Irish record, and is entered in the long jump, shot put and javelin. So eyes will need to be focused on the field to get a glimpse of her in action.
There are some perennial title holders who take great pride in defending their title each year. Sarah Lavin has a current streak of eight wins in the 100m hurdles, and should make that number nine this weekend, such is her consistency.
There will always be some late withdrawals due to illness too, but even in the absence of a star attraction as Adeleke, the prize of winning a national title always creates some fierce competition. Especially for those aiming to win for the first time.
