Athletics Ireland have announced a team of 25 athletes for next month’s World Championships in Tokyo with another six athletes provisionally selected pending the final Road to Tokyo ranking list.
Among those selected are Paris Olympians Sarah Healy (1,500m), Kate O’Connor (heptathlon), Mark English (800m), Nicola Tuthill (hammer), and Sharlene Mawdsley (women’s 400m, mixed 4x400m relay and women’s 4x400m relay).
Of the 25 athletes chosen, 11 were already guaranteed their selection, along with two relay squads, having achieved automatic qualifying standards. Another six Irish athletes were within the current Road to Tokyo ranking lists, with the other six provisionally selected athletes to learn their fate on Saturday when the Tokyo ranking lists are updated by World Athletics for the final time.
After Rhasidat Adeleke made the decision to end her season last week, citing lingering injuries and continuous setbacks, her absence opened up another spot in the relay squads. Sophie Becker and Rachel McCann have been selected for the mixed 4x400m and the women’s 4×400, with Jack Raftery, Conor Kelly and Cillín Greene named for the mixed 4x400m.
Cliodhna Manning, Michelle Duggan and Jenna Breen have also been named in the women’s 4x400m, while the are two non-travelling reserves: Erin Friel in the women’s 4x400m and Ciaran Carthy in the mixed 4x400m.
English and Cian McPhillips (800m), Cathal Doyle and Andrew Coscoran (1,500m), Mawdsley (400m), Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan (1,500m), and Sarah Lavin (100m hurdles) were all ensured of their selection on automatic standards. However, O’Sullivan has been recovering from a stress reaction in her leg and there are some doubts about her race fitness.
Fionnuala McCormack, Hiko Tonosa and Peter Lynch were already preselected for the marathon, and both the mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x400m relay squads earned their automatic qualifying spots at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China at the start of May.
The six Irish athletes within their event quota when the Road to Tokyo rankings closed on Sunday night were O’Connor (heptathlon), Tuthill (hammer), Brian Fay (5,000m), Eric Favors (shot put), David Kenny (20km walk) and Oisin Lane (35km walk).
While Coscoran was also inside the qualifying quota for the 5,000m, Darragh McElhinney was just one place short – 43rd of the 42-athlete quota – meaning he’ll need one athlete ahead of him to drop out, a likely scenario over the coming days.
Also provisionally selected were Efrem Gidey (men’s 10,000m), Nick Griggs (men’s 1,500m & 5,000m), Laura Nicholson (women’s 1,500m), Becker (women’s 400m) Raftery (men’s 400m) Alex O’Neill (women’s 800m) and Jenna Bromell (women’s 800m), although they’re some way down the rankings and less likely to gain a place.
Irish team for World Athletics Championships:
Sarah Healy (Women’s 1500m)
Mark English (Men’s 800m)
Sarah Lavin (Women’s 100m Hurdles)
Sophie O’Sullivan (Women’s 1500m)
Sharlene Mawdsley (Women’s 400m, Mixed 4x400m Relay & Women’s 4x400m Relay)
Cathal Doyle (Men’s 1500m)
Cian McPhillips (Men’s 800m)
Andrew Coscoran (Men’s 1,500m & 5,000m)
Kate O’Connor (Women’s Heptathlon)
Nicola Tuthill (Women’s Hammer Throw)
Brian Fay (Men’s 5,000m)
David Kenny (Men’s 20km Race Walk)
Oisin Lane (Men’s 35km Race Walk)
Eric Favors (Men’s Shot Put)
Fionnuala McCormack (Women’s Marathon)
Hiko Tonosa (Men’s Marathon)
Peter Lynch (Men’s Marathon)
Sophie Becker (Mixed 4x400m Relay & Women’s 4x400m Relay)
Rachel McCann (Mixed 4x400m Relay & Women’s 4x400m Relay)
Jack Raftery (Mixed 4x400m Relay)
Conor Kelly (ixed 4x400m Relay)
Cillín Greene (Mixed 4x400m Relay)
Cliodhna Manning (Women’s 4x400m Relay)
Michelle Duggan (Women’s 4x400m Relay)
Jenna Breen (Women’s 4x400m Relay)
*Erin Friel (Women’s 4x400m Relay – Non travelling reserve)
*Ciaran Carthy (Mixed 4x400m Relay – Non travelling reserve)
AloJapan.com