Ireland gear up for European Athletics Team Championships in Slovenia
But others are first in line to rule themselves in, knowing there's nothing quite like in the sport, handing as it does equal billing to the star names and the club-level athletes who are thrust into international duty.
Having earned promotion to division two in 2023, the Irish find themselves in Maribor, Slovenia this weekend, facing 15 other mid-tier European nations such as Belgium, Turkey, Denmark and Norway. The top three teams in the two-day competition will earn promotion to division one, while the bottom three will be relegated. Ireland will likely finish somewhere in between.
The event has long been a biennial reminder of just how big an imbalance exists in Irish athletics between track and field, the runners typically powering them towards promotion, the field eventers taking them towards relegation. The reasons for that are varied, from lower participation numbers in field events to poor facilities to dire investment in coaching. Despite the rising tide, Ireland is just not strong enough across the board to earn a place in division one. At least not yet.
The imbalance is starting to even out, however, and Nicola Tuthill in the hammer and Eric Favors in the shot put likely to make decent points contributions. On the track, even without some star names, the Irish should make the greatest impact. Sarah Lavin will race the 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay, while Sharlene Mawdsley will race the 400m and mixed 4x400m.
Sophie O'Sullivan will race the 800m, having recently won the 1500m title at the NCAA Championships. Others returning from the NCAA include Elizabeth Ndudi, the reigning European U-20 long jump champion, and Ava O'Connor, who last month won a Division 2 NCAA title in the 3000m steeplechase. Cork sprinter Lucy-May Sleeman, a student at Florida State University, will race the 100m and 4x100m.
Ciara Neville will make a welcome return to international duty in the 4x100m over four years on from a severe hamstring injury that cost her a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. The in-form Bori Akinola will race the men's 100m and 4x100m, the UCD sprinter last weekend clocking a wind-assisted time of 10.10 (2.9m/s) in London, the fastest all-conditions time ever by an Irishman. Irish record holder Israel Olatunde will be part of the 4x100m. Paris Olympian Brian Fay will contest the 5000m while Cian McPhillips will be in action over 800m. Jack Raftery has been given the nod for the men's 400m after a hugely impressive PB of 45.75 last week.
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