Latest news with #McElhinney
RTÉ News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Sarah Healy headlines star-powered National Athletics Championships
July was a bumper month for Irish athletics, particularly for the underage and college athletes, who managed to scoop 11 medals at championships, including Kate O'Connor's third medal of the year at the World University Games. Now it is time for the senior athletes to continue the tally, but it remains to be seen whether September's World Championships will be quite as fruitful as the indoor season that saw Mark English, Sarah Healy and O'Connor all medalling. Global championships are understandably tricky to medal in, with Rob Heffernan's 2013 gold the last time Amhrán na bhFiann rang out a World Athletics Championships, will this be the year we hear it again? The first hurdle for those aiming for this year's only major in Tokyo is the national championships taking place on 2 and 3 August at the Morton Stadium in Santry. Participation is one of the clauses for selection, although history tells us that isn't always the case and every year the absence of a big name causes a stir. Rhasidat Adeleke's decision to forgo this weekend's nationals with injury trouble doesn't necessarily spell disaster for the rest of her season, and taking time away from the track could well be critical in making the start line in Tokyo. Nine individuals, including Adeleke, and two relays have automatic qualification standards for Tokyo, with three marathoners already selected. Admittedly, there is slightly less at stake than in 2024, where Olympic qualification hung in the balance for the likes of Sophie Becker and Jodie McCann, on what was the final opportunity for securing points towards their rank, but it still promises to be a drama-filled weekend. The qualification period will remain open for three weeks after nationals and fewer athletes are on the cusp, but there will be a few chasing points to make the start line at the worlds in the weeks following the national championships. Darragh McElhinney is the closest of those on that cusp, currently sitting in 48th place on the global rankings, just six spots outside qualifying for the 5000m. The Bandon native isn't entered in the 12.5-lap event and instead will drop down to the metric mile which looks like it could be the highest quality race of the championship, provided everyone turns up that is, which may be the running theme of the weekend. Men's 1500m Two men have all but booked their tickets for worlds in the 1500m, Cathal Doyle and Andrew Coscoran, both have the automatic qualifying time of 3:33.00 ticked off this year already. The absence of Luke McCann following knee surgery and Nick Griggs ' delayed start to the season, means for the first time since 2021 there won't be three Irish men in the 1500m at an international outdoor championship. The event still promises to be the track must-watch of the nationals, with McElhinney and Griggs, who seem to be focusing on the 5k event this year, dropping down to join Doyle and Coscoran in the fight for the title. Both Griggs and McElhinney are entered in a fast 5000m next weekend in Belgium and the 1500m at nationals will be a suitable tune-up. Shane Bracken is one to keep an eye on, having claimed his first Irish vest this year at the European Team Championships in June where he finished an impressive third. The 27-year-old may be hoping to avenge his fourth-place finish in last year's final so look out for the red and black vest of Swinford down the home straight. Coscoran was also entered in the 5000m but subtly stated his intention to run in the 1500m in an Instagram post yesterday, and could be feeling confident after beating Doyle earlier this month. With five or six men in the frame for the medals and Doyle fresh from an 800m personal best in Luxembourg it could be a cagey affair. Doyle will be determined to settle the score against the national record holder who beat him in the famous Morton Mile earlier this month, and a determined Doyle is hard to beat. Women's 400m With potentially six places on offer for the women's side of the relays in Tokyo, tensions will be high for the one-lap sprint final on Sunday evening, as head-to-heads are critical in team selection decisions. Sharlene Mawdsley is entered in both the 200m and 400m for the two-day championship, and based on previous patterns the 26-year-old will choose which one rather than double-up. Mawdsley will be hoping to claim her third national title with possibly some inspiration drawn from Tipp's All-Ireland heroics two weeks ago, she is ranked second in the nation this year with her 50.93 season's best from the European Team Championships. Three out of four from last year's Olympic 4x400m squad are entered, and with Rhasidat Adeleke absent from the national championships with "additional lingering setbacks" according to a statement she made on X yesterday, it leaves Becker, Mawdsley and Phil Healy in the fight for the title. Becker is reigning champion in the event and after battling back from injury over the winter had an impressive early showing with an individual clocking of 51.69 as well as a strong leg at the World Relays. She has since revealed a subsequent injury set-back, but has returned to racing and will require a tough challenger to take her title on the track she trains on with the Dublin Sprint training group. Healy is a bit of an unknown entity, and Saturday's heats will be her first individual outdoor 400m race of the year, but she has recently tested her speed over the 100m and 200m at the Cork City Sports event. There could be stiff competition for the minor places from young stars breaking through. Erin Friel will be riding high from a bronze medal and personal best in the European Youth Olympic Festival in North Macedonia last week and along with Jenna Breen, who is ranked sixth in the country this year, they could both be underrated potential medallists. Women's 800m Sarah Healy will be hopeful of retaining her 800m national title and there is a possibility of the same exhibition display that she did indoors, where she broke the championship record in the heats. The European indoor champion explained why she has chosen the two-lap event for her first home race since wining the title: "I have raced so many 1500s this year and it's very rare I get a chance to run an 800 and it will probably be a good quality field at nationals and it's a good chance for me to challenge myself in a different way," Healy told RTÉ Sport. Healy currently leads the Diamond League and won the Rome event in June. "I've been really lucky to do all the Diamond Leagues this year but I've just raced a lot of times, a lot of 1500ms. "I've a few more Diamond Leagues coming up so it just seemed like a good opportunity and I'm just lucky I am able to come and do it at home. Normally, running an 800 brings me on a lot in the 1500m." Sophie O'Sullivan, is also entered in the two-lap race, along with the event she is qualified in for Tokyo, the 1500m. O'Sullivan and Healy have only raced twice in their careers and the record currently stands at one each. The former has a marginally quicker personal best of 2:00.61, set this year which could make for a scintillating two minutes of action on Sunday. Jenna Bromell from Emerald AC, who has been knocking on the door of the two-minute barrier, could be Healy's main challenger, along with Maeve O'Neill and Alex O'Neill who both have personal bests well under 2:03. Hannah Seagrave makes her debut at an Irish national championship in the Clonliffe colours. She won a bronze medal with Great Britain at the European U23 Championships in 2017 and broke two minutes for the first time last year. Seagrave has begun the process of transferring allegiance to Ireland through World aAhletics but is waiting on approval from the global governing body. A notable omission from the entries this year, is seven-time national champion Louise Shanahan who hasn't missed an outdoor nationals since 2020, but the field in the women's 800m is undoubtedly the strongest since the 2021 season. Men's 800m Mark English looks well on his way to 18th national title. The five-time European medallist hasn't been beaten at a national championship since 2013, when he entered the 400m, and has broken his own national record twice this year already. The event he will choose isn't clear cut, as English is listed for both the 400m and 800m. In the two-lap race there could be pressure from Cian McPhillips who has recovered from injury to be among those that have the automatic mark for Tokyo, running 1:44.19 at the Morton games earlier this month. McPhillips and English have a gap on the rest of the field but one to watch is Carrickfergus-born Andrew Thompson, who like Seagrave is running in his first Irish National Championships. Thompson has had an unusual journey to the track, from essentially a fun runner, to becoming a 1:46 800m runner in the span of two years. The 25-year-old ran his first ever track race last year after being spotted by an athletics coach in his local park, and a medal at these championships would round off his impressive initial step into competitive running. Men's 100m The fastest race of the championship once again promises to bring a host of in-form athletes head-to-head. The 4x100m national record has been broken on two occasions already this year, showing the current depth in men's sprinting in Ireland. Israel Olatunde will be eyeing his fifth-straight outdoor championship title and will want to re-affirm his sprint crown having missed out on the indoor title earlier this year to the ever-improving Bori Akinola. Last year's battle between the two was one to remember, with Olatunde just edging Akinola by 0.02 of a second. Olatunde does have the edge in the 100m event this season, having run 10.23 to Akinola's 10.25. Others to watch include last year's bronze medallist Sean Agiboboh and Michael Farrelly who have both played a role in the record-breaking 4x100m squad this year. Women's 200m If Mawdsley opts for the 200m there is the possibility of a rare match-up with 100m hurdle record holder Sarah Lavin on Saturday afternoon. Lavin usually goes for a 100m, 100m hurdle double but is entered in the 200m as well, which is more favourable with this year's timetable. Lauren Roy is fresh from the World University Championships where she made the semi-finals and will be hoping to return to the podium at a national championship for the first time since 2022. The Antrim-born athlete has been in fine form this year taking 0.27 of a second off her previous best this season. With three of the top four in this year's Irish rankings entered the women's 200m could be an exciting watch on the first day of the championship. Field events The field events can't be missed with Nicola Tuthill the headline acts away from the track action. Tuthill has claimed two silver medals in the space of ten days at the European U23 Championships and the University Games and, like O'Connor, depending on how well recovery has gone, will cap off an impressive few weeks at the national championships. On the men's side Eric Favours will be searching for the B standard set by Athletics Ireland of 20.40m in the men's shotput. The Paris Olympian is just inside the quota, but will need to find another 20 centimetres to be considered for selection for the World Championships. Watch the National Athletics Championships on Saturday from 5pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Otago Daily Times
28-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Manager's focus to return to science
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is set for redevelopment. PHOTO: ALLIED PRESS FILES A staffing restructure at Tourism Waitaki could have national impacts in advancing penguin science, the regional tourism organisation says. Speaking at this week's Waitaki District Council meeting, Tourism Waitaki chairman Mike McElhinney revealed the Tourism Waitaki board was in the process of recruiting for two new roles, which would free up Blue Penguin Colony general manager Dr Philippa Agnew to return to more scientific study. "It's fair to say that three years in a holding pattern just with awaiting direction and we've had to say that Dr Philippa can't sustain the workload that's put on her and we can't deliver the expectations of the Letter of Intent and expect her to undertake to do that, Mr McElhinney said. "Therefore, the board has taken the initiative to do a restructure model; we shared that with our stakeholders at the stakeholder meeting recently." Dr Agnew, previously the organisation's only paid employee, said the move was welcome. "We're bringing other management positions into line so that we can share the load. It means that I can progress a lot of that science work, like I was doing before, because we've got some really interesting things happening and we can lead the science because we've got a lot of really important data that we can use to support little penguin populations around the country." Dr Agnew had recently hosted the biannual Penguin Symposium that drew about 100 penguin experts from around New Zealand to Oamaru. Mr McElhinney said the Little Blue Penguin Colony side of Tourism Waitaki's business was doing well. "A lot of positive things are happening at the penguin colony in terms of the redevelopment projects that we've got on the way there. Visitation numbers are back to pre-Covid days, which is absolutely outstanding. "The website has been developed and then the internal part of the building has been developed to enhance the daytime experience with the idea of being to attract more visitors during the daytime and allowing us to monetise that part of the business. "The other big areas that we're working on in the colony is the new stand, which we've gone out to tender with. "It's been an interesting market in terms of tourists coming into the region. We're ahead of the national average. Tourism has been down nationally about 33%, 38% and that's tourist numbers and revenue." Waitaki was about 7% up on pre-Covid levels, Mr McElhinney said. "So, we're ahead of the national average, which is a reflection of good work that Tourism Waitaki has been doing in the external market and that's where we play most of all, outside the region and attracting people."
The Irish Sun
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Michael Murphy is ‘best player ever' but needs Donegal teammates to step up more, says All-Ireland winner
MARTIN McELHINNEY believes Michael Murphy is the GOAT — but says the Donegal veteran still needs the help of the herd around him. Tír Chonaill icon Murphy made a sensational return to Jim McGuinness' squad this year after retiring from inter-county football in November of 2022. Advertisement 2 Murphy got his hands on the Anglo-Celt Cup again this year 2 McElhinney helped his county lift Sam Maguire in 2012 And at the age of 35, the 2012 All-Ireland-winning captain has picked up where he left off, terrorising opponents and leading the charge as his county made it back-to-back Ulster titles His former team-mate McElhinney was a winner with him on that famous day at Croke Park in 2012 and he rates Murphy as the greatest the game has ever seen. He told SunSport: 'He's phenomenal, and he's a phenomenal character first of all. I know you can harp on about it all the time but he's such a proud Donegal man and he always puts the team first. 'A lot of people thought he was just going to stand inside and kick a couple of points and help out, but he's putting everything he can into making sure Donegal win. Advertisement Read More On GAA "It is unbelievable. He's the best player that's ever played, just from playing with him and watching him play the whole way up through underage.' Donegal shone in the early stages of the this year's league before taking the foot off the gas. They then saw off four opponents to keep their hands on the Anglo-Celt Cup. An assault on Sam looked very much on at that stage but Even then, Murphy was still Donegal's standout performer with 0-8. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football The Glenswilly star fired another 0-7 in the Donegal sit top on scoring difference but can still finish in any of the group's four positions. GAA fans 'loved seeing and hearing' the late Micheal O Muircheartaigh as he features in RTE documentary Hell for Leather Avoiding defeat against Mayo at Dr Hyde Park tomorrow will ensure passage to the knockout stages and they would still go through in third place if they lose but Tyrone beat Cavan in Enniskillen. But they would take first place and go straight to the All-Ireland quarter-finals if they win and the Red Hands do not or if both games are draws. Advertisement Donegal won their group last year and made it to the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time since 2014, only for Galway to end their summer at Croker. Four-time Ulster champion McElhinney can see the potential in McGuinness' squad to go even further but says it is crucial that every player steps up to the plate, not just talisman Murphy. McElhinney added: 'He's phenomenal and he brings everyone else on about five or ten per cent just by being there. 'I'd say that was probably Jim and the backroom team's biggest thing — but he's matching it up with performances. Advertisement "He's putting his body on the line and he's trying to make other people better players. On the downside, other players are probably taking a back seat hoping that Murphy is going to do it, you know? 'Last year, everyone was flying without Murphy and you're thinking, Michael is back now to add in that extra bit you need. "But you just hope other boys don't shy away from the task, letting Michael do it all, and just come up and try and deliver performances with him.' LAST MEN STANDING Murphy and skipper Paddy McBrearty, 31, are the only survivors from Donegal's class of 2012, who claimed Sam for just the second time in the county's history. Advertisement McElhinney was shocked when Murphy walked away two years ago but was even more stunned when he was lured back. The St Michael's man said: 'I'm surprised Michael came back first of all, but I always thought he retired too early and he had the ability to keep going for another couple of years. 'People think Paddy is older because he's been around for so long but Paddy and Michael are obsessed with football and have unbelievable attitudes, so I'm not surprised they're still going.' Former stars Neil McGee, Colm McFadden and Marty Boyle are all part of McGuinness' backroom team and McElhinney is thrilled his old pals are delivering the goods on and off the pitch. Advertisement He added: 'You always knew the likes of Colm would go into management in a way, because he's a calculated person. He's a deep thinker, you ask him a question, he thinks about it before he really answers you. 'But it's great to see them boys involved and they all bring different things to the backroom team, and not just because they were successful in 2012. 'They all have different attributes that Jim would want. Neil, Marty and Colm are very different people. "That's one thing Jim was always good at, he always had different characters in the backroom team and it wasn't all the same type of personality, and I think you need that.' Advertisement 'SERIOUS CHALLENGE' Now they need another performance. McElhinney replaced McBrearty in the final stages of the 2012 All-Ireland final win over Mayo but both squads have changed dramatically since. Aidan O'Shea is Mayo's sole survivor from 13 years ago when first-half goals from Murphy and McFadden were decisive in an edgy 2-11 to 0-13 win. Murphy was man of the match. And McElhinney expects another Donegal victory tomorrow. He said: 'Mayo are a serious challenge. People thought they were finished and all that, but no way. Advertisement 'Paddy Durcan is probably as good a player as you'll get in Ireland. "He came back from a torn cruciate and played one game against Tyrone and he was man of the match, and Aidan O'Shea has caused Donegal a lot of problems down through the years. 'The harder the task for Mayo, the more they seem to rise up and take it. 'Sometimes when they play against the so-called lesser counties they end up nearly getting caught, but when they're against the bigger teams, they'll always put in a performance. Advertisement 'They're very proud down there and they're always confident. "They're kind of a bit like Tyrone in a way, that they feel they can win an All-Ireland every single year, and that's a great thing to have. 'But this Donegal team are well experienced now under Jim, they've a lot of very good players and I think they can be good enough to come out on top.'
