Athletics wrap: Efrem Gidey and Mark English claim big wins as Sharlene Mawdsley impresses
Gidey was born in Eritrea but fled the war-torn country in 2016, spending several months at a refugee camp in Calais before arriving in Ireland in March 2017, where he was soon linked up with Clonliffe Harriers, where coaches Joe Cooper and Peter McDermott developed his talent. He made his international debut for Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships in 2019, winning bronze in the U-20 race behind Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Since committing to full-time running over the past year, he has made considerable progress, breaking the Irish records at 10km and the half marathon on the road and over 10,000m on the track, clocking 27:26.95 in California in March. He is targeting the World Championships in Tokyo later this year but was narrowly outside the 27-man qualification quota prior to Saturday's race.
Elsewhere, Mark English produced a hugely impressive win at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the five-time European medallist unleashing a devastating kick to win over 800m in 1:44.75, close to his Irish record of 1:44.53.
'I'm really happy with that, I felt really good on that last lap and it's a credit to the work I put in, that my coach put in,' said English, who's been training under Australian coach Justin Rinaldi this year. 'I'm really happy I was that strong for the last 200 metres as you need that strength at the world level. I'm just off a stint of altitude training and it reassures me that that training works, and it also reassures me my training group has been really beneficial.'
Andrew Coscoran ran a personal best over 5000m at the same meeting of 13:11.05, which will move him inside the qualification cut-off for the World Championships, with Coscoran eyeing a double in Tokyo over 1500m and 5000m.
Sharlene Mawdsley was in action in Zagreb and the Tipperary sprinter turned in a hugely impressive run, finishing second over 400m in 51.14 to take a big step forward from her run in Savona earlier in the week.
Ava O'Connor won a silver medal in the 5000m at the NCAA Division IÍ Championships in Colorado, adding to her gold in the 3000m steeplechase, while there was a horde of Irish athletes in action at the IFAM meeting in Brussels on Saturday. The most impressive run came from Conor Kelly, the 17-year-old smashing Chris O'Donnell's Irish U-20 400m record of 46.54 and clocking 46.18 despite the wet conditions.
Darragh McElhinney was the quickest of the Irish men in the 5000m, clocking 13:26.48, while Róisín Flanagan clocked a Northern Irish record in the women's 500m of 15:22.00, with Íde Nic Dhomhnaill also impressing with a PB of 15:36.68. Sophie Becker opened her individual season with a 51.69-second clocking for 400m. Nicola Tuthill finished fourth in the hammer throw in Halle, Germany, throwing a best of 69.68m.
Meanwhile, Sarah Healy and Cathal Doyle will be in action at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco this evening, with Doyle making his debut at this level in the 1500m at 7.54pm and Healy racing a strong field over 3000m at 8.07pm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
On This Week: Oasis bring Morning Glory to Cork
On This Week: Irish Moments from History (11th - 17th August) Welcome to On This Week, where we delve into the standout stories from the years gone by, featuring standout news stories, major sporting events, and pop culture highlights that helped shape Irish life. Here's your dose of Irish nostalgia from 11th - 17th August. This Week In Irish News 1970: First jumbo jet to land at Shannon Airport The first scheduled jumbo jet landed at Shannon Airport this week. The Pan Am Boeing 747 landed after a transatlantic crossing from the US, carrying 311 passengers. After a smooth landing at Shannon, the flight continued to London. This was the first scheduled landing of a jumbo jet at Shannon Airport. There had been previous landings, but they were for training purposes. 2020: Donegal woman becomes the first female diver in naval history Donegal woman Sub-Lieutenant Tahlia Britton made Irish naval history by becoming the Navy's first female diver. She and two others, Able Mechanic Rob Mulqueen from Limerick and Able Seaman Emmet O'Hanlon from Cork, received their diving log books in a ceremony at the naval base in Haulbowline. The three went through a gruelling 11-week training course, which has a 70% drop-out rate. The three were the only ones of the original ten to finish the course. This Week In Irish Sports 1982: John O'Leary clinches the Irish Open John O'Leary finished one under par to win the Irish Open tournament. After a seven-year wait, the Irish Open had an Irish winner again, as O'Leary was the only player on the field to finish under par. Englishman Maurice Bembridge finished second, while Christy O'Connor Senior finished joint third with Greg Norman and Nick Faldo. He made par on the final hole to secure victory, to the delight of the 28,000 people attending at Portmarnock. 2011: Coyne claims world Light Middleweight title in Castlebar Henry Coyle claimed the vacant WBF Light Middleweight title at the Royal Theatre in Castlebar. The Mayo man beat Italy's Elio Cotena on a technical knockout, where he sustained a deep cut above his eye after a clash. The doctor was forced to intervene after the end of the fifth round, giving Coyle the victory. This Week In Irish Entertainment 1996: Oasis bring Morning Glory to Cork Manchester band Oasis played two gigs at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork in front of more than 70,000 fans, One of the biggest bands of the Britpop era, tight security and organisers meant that the band's arrival was kept a secret. Such was their popularity that trains were full, meaning not all attendees could fit in. As a result, last-minute buses were added to ensure all would reach the venue. The stage took a week to build, with technicians working around the clock. On stage, there were 36 guitars, three pianos, 56 microphones, video screens, miles of wiring and thousands of lights. Support band The Bootleg Beatles warmed up the crowd before Oasis took the stage. This Week In Irish Culture 1962: New discoveries made at Newgrange A team of archaeologists made fresh findings at the centre mound of Newgrange in Co Meath. The team was led by Professor Michael J O'Kelly from University College Cork, who uncovered decorated kerbstones with chevron ornamentation and a mound of turf, which may have been part of the passage grave itself or part of a preexisting structure. 2007: Replica Viking longship arrives in Dublin A replica Viking longship arrives in Dublin following a six-week voyage from Denmark. The world's biggest replica Viking longship, The Sea Stallion From Glendalough, set sail from Denmark six and a half weeks previously. It was a reconstruction of a vessel built in the Dublin region in the 11th century, which sailed over a thousand miles to reach its home. What was Number 1 in Ireland This Week? 1982: 'Come On Eileen' by Dexys Midnight Runners Coming from their second album, Come On Eileen reached the number one spot in the US, UK and Ireland. 1996: 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls The debut single that helped usher in Girl Power, Wannabe topped the charts in 37 countries.. 2001: Hey Baby (Uhh, Ahh) by DJ Ötzi A cover version released by Austrian artist DJ Ötzi, the song became the unofficial theme song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Japan and South Korea. Irish Celebrities Celebrating Birthdays This Week Claire Byrne (50) Radio and TV presenter who hosts Today With Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1. Evanna Lynch (34) Actor best known for portraying Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series. Hector Ó hEochagáin (56) TV and radio presenter best known for his travel shows on TG4. Other Irish Trivia From This Week 1963: All gather for the barrel rolling race in Nenagh Nenagh County Tipperary was the venue for a spot of barrel rolling. Young men lined up with the barrels to roll them through the streets of Nenagh. The winner is John Talbot who raises his barrel in the air to celebrate. While it's not clear why the race was taking place, barrel races typically occurred as part of a larger festival or when a carnival came to town. Looking Ahead
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
McMahon return to fitness 'bang on track' for upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup
Women's International Summer Series: Ireland 26 Canada 47 Despite being marked absent for their final warm-up game against Canada at Affidea Stadium in Belfast on Saturday, Ireland head coach Scott Bemand has revealed co-captain Edel McMahon is 'bang on track' to regain her fitness in time for the forthcoming Women's Rugby World Cup. Clare native McMahon has been dealing with a knee issue in recent weeks and hasn't featured for Ireland since the conclusion of the Six Nations Championship last April. Yet Bemand explained in the aftermath of Saturday's game that she potentially could have played if it was a fixture of greater significance and this raises hopes that she'll be named in his official squad for the RWC on Monday morning. Irish supporters are also keeping their fingers crossed that McMahon's fellow back-row Aoife Wafer will make the cut for the tournament, even though injuries to her posterior cruciate ligament and medial cruciate ligament have severely curtailed her preparations in recent months. The Irish backroom team will be doing all they can to ensure Wafer is available for at least some of the World Cup, but Bemand acknowledged there will need to be a delicate balancing act in his final squad selection. 'There's always a balance around who you can take and what you can't. We call them salvageable injuries. 'Tricky' [Edel McMahon] is bang on track. If this was a World Cup quarter-final, 'Tricky' would have been in the mix for selection. She's well placed,' Bemand explained. 'Aoife, we said this one just came a little bit too soon. We'll continue to progress and assess. You certainly can't carry too many. We know we need a squad to get out of this competition what we want out of it. We've had to balance that in with some selections, but in the main 'Tricky' is pretty close.' 14-0 behind in the early stages of their eventual triumph against Scotland in a maiden warm-up clash at Virgin Media Park in Cork a week earlier, Ireland found themselves adrift by the same margin in Belfast on Saturday following converted opening quarter tries for Canada from Florence Symonds and Justine Pelletier. The hosts eventually opened their account when Beibhinn Parsons dotted down on 20 minutes, but with Daleaka Menin, Symonds (for her second) and Paige Farries all crossing over in clinical fashion, Canada established a commanding 26-point interval buffer. Canada full-back Julia Schell increased her side's lead with a fine finish off a breakaway move 15 minutes into the second half, before Ireland finally enjoyed a purple patch either side of the third-quarter mark. One of 10 players drafted into the Irish starting line-up for this encounter, winger Anna McGann did her chances of future selection no harm by bagging tries in the 59th and 62nd minutes. The aforementioned Parsons rounded off an extended attack on 71 minutes to join McGann in finishing the game with a brace of tries, but it was Canada who had the final say with a late converted score from Sophie de Goede. Moments after the visitors propelled themselves into a 40-7 lead at the home of Ulster Rugby, Gloucester Hartpury prop Ellena Perry was introduced off the bench for her Ireland debut. This wasn't her international bow, however, as she previously lined out on 11 occasions for England from 2018 to 2020. During this time, Bemand was part of the Red Roses backroom staff as lead coach and therefore is fully aware of what the front-row can bring to the table. A World Rugby regulation that allows players to represent a second nation after a three-year stand-down period, if they, a parent or a grandparent were born in that second nation, has paved the way for Perry to switch allegiances to Ireland through her maternal grandfather. This has opened the door for the 28-year-old to become a potential World Cup bolter and Bemand was impressed with her performance upon being introduced to the fray on Saturday. 'Since she has stepped foot on the ground, she's been brilliant. Today we've seen she can more than handle herself. She has been able to add on and off the pitch. Delighted to have gotten some time into her, so that she can put her hand up for selection,' Bemand added. Scorers for Ireland: Tries: A McGann 2, B Parsons 2 Cons: D O'Brien 3 Scorers for Canada: Tries: F Symonds 2, J Pelletier, D Menin, P Farries, J Schell, S de Goede Cons: S de Goede 6 IRELAND: S Flood; B Parsons, A Dalton, E Breen (E Higgins 52), A McGann; D O'Brien, A Reilly (E Lane 66); N O'Dowd (E Perry 56), N Jones (C Moloney-MacDonald 56), L Djougang (S McGrath 71); R Campbell (E Corri Fallon 66), F Tuite; G Moore, I Kiripati (C Moloney-MacDonald 31-40 & S Monaghan h-t), B Hogan (C Boles 56). CANADA: J Schell; A Corrigan, F Symonds (S-M Lachance 68), A Tessier (S Seumanutafa 24), P Farries (O Demerchant 26-30); C Gallagher, J Pelletier (O Apps 56); M Hunt (B Kassil 52), G Boag (E Tuttosi 52), D Menin (O Demerchant h-t); S de Goede, T Beukeboom; K Paquin (P Buisa 56) (C O'Donnell 60)), C Crossley, F Forteza. Referee: A Groizeleau (France).
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'You can't carry too many' - Ireland set to name World Cup squad
The players already know and at 10 o'clock this morning Ireland rugby fans will know who's going on the plane to England for the World Cup. Head coach Scott Bemand spoke to reporters after Saturday's 47-26 loss to Canada in Belfast and indicated that prop Christy Haney is likely to miss out with a hamstring injury, and was non-committal on the prospects of star back row Aoife Wafer being deemed fit after knee surgery. In addition, co-captain Edel McMahon is recovering from a knee injury that kept her out of both of the warm-up games. Ireland face Japan on Sunday week in Northampton and take on Spain and New Zealand on the following Sundays. Asked about the risks of naming two currently injured back rows in the squad, Bemand admitted that a balance had to be struck. "You are dead right, there is always a balance around who you can take and who you can't, we call them salvageable injuries," he told RTÉ Sport. "'Tricky' [McMahon] is bang on track. If this was a World Cup quarter-final, 'Tricky' would have been in the mix for selection. She's well placed. "Aoife, we said this one came a little bit too soon. We'll continue to progress and assess. "You certainly can't carry too many. "Having done this before with a slightly smaller squad and the knock on of workload picked up by other people, we know we need a squad to get what we want out of this competition. "We've had to balance that in with some selections. In the main, 'Tricky's' pretty close." The addition of former England prop Ellena Perry, who qualifies through an Irish grandparent, to the training squad over the summer was an early indication that experienced front row Haney was racing against time. "Christy obviously picked up a bump with her hamstring which is a real shame for her. She worked really hard. "We're assessing as we go through. "It obviously meant we needed to bring somebody in the front row. "I've been incredibly proud and pleased with how the pathway is performing in terms of developing the likes of Sophie Barrett. "Sophie was in the conversation to bring in. Beth [Buttimer] has come in. "Ellena, obviously my previous work [with the Red Roses], I'd worked with Elle, we knew what standard she's at and it got highlighted to us that she's IQ. "So we were able to activate a process that could reach out to her, ask if she wanted to come in for an opportunity with nothing promised." On the tough conversations he's had to have with some players, Bemand (below) said that the "players have also professionalised in terms of how they handle when selections are coming over the horizon." Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he referred to the recent Lions tour in which numerous players who missed out on original selection received call-ups. "The fact that the girls are putting themselves in a position to compete for something as special as a World Cup is to be applauded," he said. "It doesn't make it not hurt if you are in a group. Those girls that won't end up getting on the plane are hugely important to us. "The competition within training couldn't have looked like it did without them. "There is a tough pill to swallow if you are not in that but anyone who has followed the Lions will have seen that you are a dead leg away from getting a call-up and should that moment happen and you are on a plane and your first game is a quarter-final of a World Cup, you've got to be ready. "They'll feel the pain rather than the happiness but we also understand we've got a job to do. "We're representing Ireland in a World Cup and we get a chance to put ourselves, our green wave on the world stage.
