News

An 11-strong Irish team has arrived in Poland ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Kujawy Pomorze which get underway this Friday (March 20^th). Across three exciting days of competition 81 world medals will be up for grabs at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena.

Spearheading the Irish team will be an athlete who won one of those medals at last year’s edition of the championships in Nanjing, China; Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerard’s AC). In doing so O’Connor, who won silver in the Women’s Pentathlon, made history by claiming Ireland’s first medal at the event since 2006. The 25-year-old also went onto win silver in the Heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September.

The Dundalk star returned to competitive action at the recent 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships setting two new personal bests in the 60m Hurdles (8.21) and Long Jump (6.50m) indicating that she is in strong form ahead of her first multi-event competition of the year on Sunday.

Mark English (Finn Valley AC) will hope to navigate the rounds of the Men’s 800m and make Sunday’s final. The Donegal doctor has been in excellent form this season lowering his own Irish indoor 800m record on two occasions. English, who turned 33 yesterday (March 18^th), ran his best of 1:44.23 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava, Czechia in early February before returning to altitude for a training camp. He also ran an Irish indoor 600m record in January, clocking 1:15.80 at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Dublin.

Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) and Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) are both ranked highly in the Men’s 3000m, with the pair having ran the third and fifth fastest times in the world for the event this year. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in January, Coscoran ran a time of 7:30.97, with recently crowned national champion Griggs crossing the line just behind him in 7:32.79, a huge Irish U23 record. The duo will compete in a straight 15-man final in Toruń on Saturday evening.

Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) is a consistent championship performer who finished fifth in the final of her event, the Women’s 60m Hurdles, at these championships in Glasgow two years ago. The Limerick woman, who has clocked a best of 7.98 seconds this season, will look to deliver a strong performance when it matters most. All three rounds of her event take place on Sunday.

Bori Akinola (UCD AC), Lauren Roy (Fast Twitch AC) and Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) will race over 60m. Akinola broke Israel Olatunde’s national record for the event last month at the World Indoor Tour Gold meet in Belgrade, Serbia, with a 6.54 second clocking, illustrating that he’s in the form of this life travelling to Poland. He will be the first Irish athlete to take to the track on Friday.

Roy has also had a breakthrough season in America where she has been racing on the NCAA collegiate circuit for Tarleton State University. The Ballymena woman recorded a personal best of 7.19 seconds recently to move equal second on the Irish all-time list for the event. Neville meanwhile won gold at the recent 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships and has lowered her personal best that had stood since 2017 on three occasions this season. Her 7.26 second clocking in Athlone last month ranks her equal fourth on the Irish all-time list for the event. The Women’s 60m takes place on Saturday.

Both Maeve O’Neill (Doheny AC) and Emma Moore (Galway City Harriers) will make their Irish senior international debuts on Friday in the heats of the Women’s 800m. O’Neill, who is studying at Providence College in Rhode Island, broke the national indoor record over 800m recently, running a time of 2:00.33 at Boston University, while Moore has also had a breakthrough 2026 so far, lowering her personal best to 2:01.21 at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in January. The Galway woman sits fourth on the Irish indoor all-time list for the event.

James Gormley (Carmen Runners) will also be in action on Friday in the heats of the Men’s 1500m. He returns to these championships having raced in the 3000m in Nanjing, China last year. The 27-year-old ran an indoor personal best of 3:37.60 in Boston last month which qualified him for the event and moved him to eighth on the Irish indoor all-time list.

Where to watch?

All sessions of the World Athletics Indoor Championships will be live on Virgin Media Two. This comes on the back of the station providing coverage of the recent 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships. Athletics Ireland would like to thank Virgin Media TV for their continued support. Virgin Media TV listings can be found HERE.

Irish athletes schedule – World Athletics Indoor Championships – Toruń, Poland

Morning Session – Friday March 20^th

• Bori Akinola – Men’s 60m – Heats – 09:20 (10:20)
• Maeve O’Neill – Women’s 800m – Heats – 11:51 (12:51)
• Emma Moore – Women’s 800m – Heats – 11:51 (12:51)
• Mark English – Men’s 800m – Heats – 12:26 (13:26)

Evening Session – Friday March 20^th

• James Gormley – Men’s 1500m – Heats – 17:54 (18:54)
• Bori Akinola – Men’s 60m – SF – 19:16 (20:16) *
• Bori Akinola – Men’s 60m – Final – 20:22 (21:22) *

 Morning Session – Saturday March 21^st

• Lauren Roy – Women’s 60m – Heats – 10:05 (11:05)
• Ciara Neville – Women’s 60m – Heats – 10:05 (11:05)
• Maeve O’Neill – Women’s 800m – SF – 11:22 (12:22) *
• Emma Moore – Women’s 800m – SF – 11:22 (12:22) *
• Mark English – Men’s 800m – SF – 12:08 (13:08) *

Evening Session – Saturday March 21^st

• Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 3000m – Final – 18:22 (19:22)
• Nick Griggs – Men’s 3000m – Final – 18:22 (19:22)
• Lauren Roy – Women’s 60m – SF – 19:14 (20:14) *
• Ciara Neville – Women’s 60m – SF – 19:14 (20:14) *
• Lauren Roy – Women’s 60m – Final – 20:20 (21:20) *
• Ciara Neville – Women’s 60m – Final – 20:20 (21:20) *

Morning Session – Sunday March 22^nd

• Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – 60m Hurdles – 09:05 (10:05)
• Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – High Jump – 09:43 (10:43)
• Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Heats – 11:55 (12:55)
• Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – Shot Put – 12:21 (13:21)

Evening Session – Sunday March 22^nd

• Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – Long Jump – 16:40 (17:40)
• James Gormley – Men’s 1500m – Final – 17:38 (18:38) *
• Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – SF – 17:51 (18:51) *
• Mark English – Men’s 800m – Final – 18:38 (19:38) *
• Maeve O’Neill – Women’s 800m – Final – 18:53 (19:53) *
• Emma Moore – Women’s 800m – Final – 18:53 (19:53) *
• Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – 800m – 19:03 (20:03)
• Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Final – 19:13 (20:13) *

*Subject to advancing.

Local times in brackets.