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The countdown is on to the 152nd edition of the 123.ie National Senior Track and Field Championships which take place at Morton Stadium this weekend (June 29th and 30th). This year’s championships are being viewed by many as one of the most anticipated in recent memory given the success enjoyed by Irish athletes at European Championships in Rome.
The longest consecutive running national senior track championships in the world promises to deliver a superb weekend of athletics action with many of Ireland’s leading athletes set to take their place in front of the largest crowds in recent years.
A host of stars are set to return to national championship action, including some of the medallists from that record-breaking six days in Rome. Among the entries include Rhasidat Adeleke (100m), Thomas Barr (400mH), Christopher O’Donnell (400m), Sharlene Mawdsley (200m), Sophie Becker (400m), Phil Healy (200m & 400m), and Lauren Cadden (400m).
The action gets underway from 11am on Saturday, with a second helping taking place on Sunday from 10.00am.
Both days of competition will be streamed on the Athletics Ireland YouTube Channel, with live RTE 2 coverage from 12.45pm – 2.30pm on Sunday.
Day tickets are only €11 with a special two-day ticket available for €17. U16s go free and are encouraged to come along and see the stars of Irish athletics live and in person.
Saturday’s track action gets underway at 11am with a quality men’s 10,000m walk. Brendan Boyce (Finn Valley AC), Joe Mooney (Adamstown AC), Seamus Clarke (Moy Valley AC), Matthew Newell (Tuam AC) and the Mullingar Harriers trio of Andrew Glennon, Matthew Glennon, and Oisin Lane are all set to take their place.
A bumper women’s 5000m walk final is set for a 1.00pm start. West Waterford’s Kate Veale will likely dominate proceeding once more, while the exciting quartet of Aisling Lane (Mullingar Harriers), Savanagh O’Callaghan (Tuam AC), Aoife Martin (Carraig Na Bhfear AC), and Ciara Wilson Bowen (DSD AC) are sure to carry their form into this weekend.
Heats of the 200m and short hurdles will split the walks finals, with the men’s and women’s 100/110m hurdles finals set for a 2.05pm start where we should see the return of defending champion Sarah Lavin who goes in search of her 17th national senior title.
Kate Doherty (DSD AC) and Molly Scott (St Laurence O’Toole AC) look set to push Lavin closest, while multi-event star Kate O’Connor will look to challenge for the podium places on the back of her superb second place in the heptathlon in Germany last week (6244 points).
The men’s 100mH looks an open affair with some of the experienced hurdling maestros taking on the next generation of hurdle stars in the battle for podium places at 2.15pm
The women’s 200m final is scheduled for 2.25pm and if all goes to plan European medallists Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) and Phil Healy (Bandon AC) could well face off in the medal decider, although Healy also holds an entry in the 400m.
Adeyemi Talabi (Longford AC), Aoife Lynch (Donore Harriers), and Molly Hourihan (UCD) will also be challenging for podium positions if making it through to the afternoon’s final.
Finals of the 5,000m are set to start at 4.10pm with the ‘A’ final scheduled for the gun at 4.50pm. Raheny’s Brian Fay heads the entries as he looks defend last year’s title, while last year’s second and third place finishers in Cormac Dalton (Mulling Gar Harriers) and Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers) also look set to take their places. John Travers (Donore Harriers), Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC), Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC), and Emmet Jennings (DSD AC) will ensure it’s an honest pace from the gun.
Saturday’s track action will conclude with heats of the 400m hurdles and the 4x100m relays.
The men’s javelin competition will lead out proceedings in the field events on Saturday with rising throws star Oisin Joyce (Lake District AC) coming into this weekend as the hot favourite on the back of his superb 73.72 PB (NU20R) in Mannheim last weekend. Michael Jordan (Naas AC) could very well join Joyce on the podium.
The women’s javelin is set for a 1.40pm start with multi-eventer Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerards) likely to challenge for her first medal of the day. O’Connor posted a 52.12m best in her heptathlon in Germany last week and a reproduction will likely be enough to see her claim gold.
Clonliffe’s Grace Casey, who is defending champion, could be the one to push O’Connor closest.
Staying with the throws, the men’s shot will see the return of Raheny’s Eric Favors on the back of his outing at the European Championships in Rome. Favors has gradually been returning to form on the back of a winter knee injury and he’ll look to defend his title on the way to challenging last year’s 19.91 CR as he goes in pursuit of gold. James Kelly (Finn Valley) picked up silver last year and should go well again, while national indoor champion, Andrew Cooper (Gowran AC), will be eying his own place on the podium.
The women’s shot should be a compelling watch in the absence of last year’s champion Michaela Walsh. Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerards) and Ciara Sheehy (Emerald AC) look among the likely contenders.
Saturday’s vertical jumps action will be focused on the men’s’ (1pm) and women’s (3.10pm) high jump.
The women’s competition could be one of the most tightly contest events of the weekend with all eight athletes having realistic chances of making the podium. Ciara Kennelly Killarney Valley) and Ava Rochford (Nengh Olympic) have both posted bests of 1.80m this season, a height which was enough to see Sommer Lecky claim gold in this event last year.
The men’s high jump will see the return of defending champion David Cussen (Old Abbey AC) who has already posted a 2.12m clearance this season. Craughwell’s Conor Penney is the only other athletes who has broken the two-meter barrier this season, posting a PB of 2.09 earlier this month as he continues a remarkable rise for someone so young.
Saragh Buggy (St Abbans AC) is sure to have sights set on breaking the 13-meter mark on Saturday as she goes in search of national senior title number 21 in the women’s triple from 1.30pm, while Jai Benson (Lagan Valley AC) and Brendan Lynch (Nenagh Olympic) look live gold medals contender in the men’s triple jump which gets underway at 3.20pm
The battle for the WFH golds is set for 4.15pm and is sure to capture lots of attention as the bar raises.
It’s an early start for Sunday’s second helping of championship competition with the heats of the 100m set for a 10.30am start.
The first track finals of the day are the men’s (11.40am) and women’s (12.30pm) 3000m SC where Michelle Finn (Leevale AC) and Finley Daly (Sligo AC) will look to defend their titles.
The women’s 400mH final is set for 12.50pm and it looks wide open in the absence of last year’s top 3 finishers (Tappin, McGrory, Murray). Cara Murphy (DSD AC) was 4th in last year’s race and could be the one to lead them home, while the 1:01.68 PB of Laura Frey (Lagan Valley AC) ranks as the fastest time of those entered this season.
RTE coverage will start at 1.05pm when fans in the stadium will get the opportunity to greet Ferrybank’s Thomas Barr back to domestic final action following his superb gold-medal-winning performance with the mixed 4x400m team in Rome earlier this month. Barr has had a busy period since Rome as he looks to secure qualification for the 400mH, something that is set to come down to the wire on Sunday.
The finals of the 800m will follow with Mark English expected to take his place, although the Finn Valley athlete also holds an entry in the 400m. English has looked back to his brilliant best in recent weeks, lowering his own national record TWICE to a now new record time of 1:44.53.
Louise Shanahan (Leevale AC) will look to defend her title in the women’s 800m as she too looks to secure her route to Paris. There is no shortage of depth in this year’s 800m and the potential involvement of Sarah Healy, who also holds a 1500m entry, could dictate much of the race tactics.
A bumper entry of close to 100 athletes in the 100m will be whittled down to the finalists set to take to the track on Sunday afternoon.
The sprint finals will be two of the most anticipated races of the weekend with the women’s race in particular attracting much attention. Ireland’s fastest man Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC) will bid to make it FOUR outdoor titles in a row at the age of 22 in the men’s final at 1.35pm, while the women’s race could see the potential showdown of defending champion Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) and European 400m silver medallist Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC).
Molly Scott, Sarah Leahy, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville, Adeyemi Talabi, and Mollie O’Reilly are also all entered, ensuring there will be no shortage of storylines around Sunday’s result.
Irish 400m running has arguably never been as competitive, and the finals of the men’s and women’s races on Sunday are sure to provide lots of drama and excitement as the races unfold from 1.55pm.
European relay silver medallists Sophie Becker (Raheny), Phil Healy (Bandon AC) and Lauren Cadden (Sligo AC) could clash in the women’s final, with defending champion Mawdsley opting for the 200m on Saturday. There is no shortage of contenders outside of the trio however with Kelly McGrory (Tir Chonaill AC), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Rachel McCann (North Down AC) to name but a few who will have sights on contending the final.
The men’s race also promises to be a cracker with Rome teammates Christoper O’Donnell (North Sligo AC), Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers), and Callum Baird (Ballymena and Antrim AC) set to be joined by the quality of Cillin Greene (Galyway City Harriers), Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers), and last year’s bronze medallist Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers).
RTE coverage will round out with the finals of the women’s (2.15pm) and men’s (2.25pm) 1500m which promise to be two of the best races of the weekend.
Even in the absence of European 1500m champion Ciara Mageean who is focused on her recovery post Rome, the women’s 1500m will still be a compelling watch. Sarah Healy (UCD AC) and Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC) provided fans with one of the races of the season in last year’s edition, and a second helping of the same would be worth the admission fee alone. O’Sullivan has enjoyed another superb NCAA season and with Healy potentially opting for the 800m, the Ballymore Cobh athlete will likely be the one to catch.
The men’s race could be just as exciting with returning champion Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers) looking in the form of his life coming into this weekend. The Clonliffe athlete could face the deepest 1500m field in years with two of the four fastest Irish athletes of all time also entered, including national record holder Andrew Coscroan and the in-form Luke McCann.
Darragh McElhinney (Bantry AC) and Paul Robinson (St Cocas AC) are two of the best tactical racers out there and they could add an extra layer to Sunday’s proceedings if all take to the line. Candour Track Club’s Nick Griggs also holds an entry but may not be on the start line come Sunday.
The 4x400m mixed relay final (2.35pm) is sure to gain plenty of extra attention at this year’s nationals on the back of recent international successes, while the U20 3000m finals look set to be ultra-competitive as some of Ireland’s most exciting young endurance athletes take to the track from 2.45pm.
The women’s 5000m will be the final individual event of Nationals 2024, and not many of those spectating in Morton will have exited the venue with a quality line-up set to take to the start.
Ide Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC) was one of the big stories of last year’s championships, claiming a superb gold in this event ahead of Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley) who looks set to reoppose once more. Few would bet against the West Limerick AC athlete retaining her title, but the recent form of Jodie McCann will likely see the DCH athlete as the one to beat on the back of her 15:20.93 in Olso.
Sunday’s track action will be rounded out as ever by the thrills and spills of the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays, with all competing sure to have been inspired by the exploits of their counterparts in Rome earlier this month.
It’s an early star for the men’s hammer throwers on Sunday as Sean Mockler (Moycarkey Coolcroo A.C.) bids to retain his title when the competition gets underway at 10.00am.
Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) comes into the weekend on the back of her superb top-10 finish at the European championships in Rome. The defending champion, who is still only 20, became only the second Irish woman to throw over 70m earlier this season and will have sights set on moving ever closer to Olympian Eileen O’Keefe’s national record (73.21m).
The pole vaulters are sure to get the crown engaged when they take to the runway for the men’s competition for 11.00am. Defending champion Michael Bowler won’t be competing this year, which may open the door for a returning-to-form Matthew Callinan Keenan (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) to go a few places better than last year. A host of young pole vaulters also look set to take their place with Michael Kent (DMP AC) one to look out for as the competition progresses.
Ellen McCartney (City of Lisburn AC) looks the standout entry in the women’s competition and the defending champion could very well chase down her PB (4.31m) on Sunday should weather conditions be in her favour.
The discus throwers take to the throwing cage from 1.10pm with Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) set to headline the entries in the women’s competition on the back of her superb PB of 56.49m earlier this season which moved her ever closer to Patricia Walsh’s national record of 57.60m (1984).
Michael Healy (Leevale AC) has produced a discuss PB of his own this season, and a reproduction of that 50.80m could very well see him claim gold in the men’s event.
The men’s and women’s long jump competitions are not to be missed with some of Ireland’s most exciting young athletes set to take to the pit, including European U20 champion and national record holder (6.68m) Elizabeth Ndudi (DSD AC) who returns from a superb season stateside to defend her title.
The men’s competition should be an enthralling competition right to the finish with Shane Howard (Bandon AC), Sam Healy (Leevale AC), and Reece Ademola (Leevale AC) all capable of producing a gold-medal-winning leap.
Olga Nedvede (Dooneen AC) produced a championship record of 7.21m in the WFD last year and looks likely to defend her crown, while Michael Healy (Leevale AC) could yet again secure multiple national medals when he takes to the men’s WFD.
Please note there is no public car-parking within the stadium for spectators or athletes.
Please note there is no car-parking permitted on the Swords Road in front of Santry Stadium nor on the main route through the Northwood complex. The Gardaí will have any vehicles parked in these areas towed away.
As part of our sustainability program we would encourage all patrons of the National Championships to avail of public transport. Santry is very well serviced by Dublin Bus and in particular the following bus routes, numbers 16, 27 B ,33, 41 with a stop at Morton Stadium. Route 1 from the city to Santry (Shanliss) is a 10 minute walk to Morton Stadium. Route N6 runs from Finglas/Kilbarrack/Finglas with a stop on Santry Avenue, (2 minutes walk to Morton Stadium).
Dublin Bus Timetables are available HERE
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