Stars including Tipperary's Sharlene Mawdsley set to shine at national championships
Large attendances expected at Morton Stadium in Santry, Dublin
Ireland’s top athletes are ready to light up Morton Stadium in Santry, Dublin on this Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3, as the 153rd edition of the 123.ie National Senior Track and Field Championships gets underway.
The longest consecutively-held national outdoor athletics championships in the world is expected to draw the largest spectator crowd in recent years, with a host of star names set to take their place.
These include World Indoor silver medallist Kate O’Connor (Javelin/ Shot Putt/Long Jump), hurdle queen Sarah Lavin (100m Hurdles/100m/200m), as well as a host of Paris Olympians including Tipperary's Sharlene Mawdsley (200m/400m), Mark English (400m/800m), Sarah Healy (800m), Sophie Becker (400m), and Phil Healy (400m).
The men’s 100m could provide the most intriguing match-ups of the weekend, with the greatly-anticipated showdown between relay teammates Israel Olatunde and Bori Akinola likely to capture the imagination of many come Sunday evening.
World Championship candidates Cian McPhillips (800m), Cathal Doyle (1500m), Andrew Coscoran (1500m/5000m) and Sophie O’Sullivan (1500m/800m) will offer even more star power to proceedings across the busy two-day schedule.
Recent Under 23 medallists Nicola Tuthill (Hammer), Anika Thompson (5000m), Eimear Maher (1500m), and Nick Griggs (1500m) also look set to return following their podium exploits in Bergen.
The action gets underway from 12pm on Saturday, with some of the highlights on day one including the finals of the men’s and women’s 200m, as well as a host of field event finals which look set to feature Olympian Eric Favors in the shot putt.
A second helping will take place on Sunday from 1pm with a frenzy of finals down for decision, including the medal deciders in the men’s and women’s 100m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m.
Both days of competition will be streamed on the Athletics Ireland YouTube Channel, with live RTÉ 2 coverage from 5pm – 7.30pm on Sunday.