19 athletes named for Ireland’s World Indoor Championships squad

Relay teams the greatest medal hopes for meet at Belgrade scheduled for mid March

Phil Healy is one of 19 Irish athletes heading to the World Indoor Championships. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Tue Mar 08 2022 - 12:53

Just because there aren’t any standout medal contenders in the Irish team named for the World Indoor Championships doesn’t mean they’re travelling without a chance. The presence of both a men’s and women’s relay team will always increase interest.

In all, 19 Irish athletes will make the journey to Belgrade - 10 men, nine women - the championships set for the Stark Arena in the Serbian capital from March 18th-20th: several individuals will be eying a final at least, and should either of the relay quartets get that far the proverbial anything is possible.

Ireland hasn’t won a medal at this global level since Derval O’Rourke struck gold in the 60m hurdles in Moscow in 2006, only those present two years earlier for the 2004 championships in Budapest can fondly recall the most eventful race of the weekend, where the Irish men’s 4x400m relay team snatched the bronze medal.

The quartet of Rob Daly, Gary Ryan, David Gillick and David McCarthy set an Irish record of 3:08.83 in qualifying (which still stands), then in the typically chaotic final, found themselves promoted to bronze after the US quartet, who originally finished third, were disqualified for dropping the baton. The Bahamas team also fell, Jamaica winning gold ahead of Russia.

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In Belgrade, the men’s quartet will come from Irish champion Cillin Greene, Robert McDonnell, Cathal Crosbie, Chris O’Donnell, Brian Gregan and Mark English, who will also run his individual event the 800m. With both Phil Healy and Sophie Becker setting indoor bests this season, the women’s quartet has perhaps the greater potential of making the final. Sharlene Mawdsley, Roisin Harrison and Catherine McManus complete the selection.

Molly Scott will look to advance in the 60m after lowering the Irish indoor record to 7.19 seconds in winning the national title last month, and Darragh McElhinney will also travel in excellent form, fresh from racing inside the Stark Arena on Monday at the World Indoor Tour, where he ran an Irish Under-23 1,500m record of 3:39.63 in finishing third. Victory there went to Britain’s Elliot Giles, winner of the 800m in this year’s World Indoor Tour, in 3:37.49, Serbia’s Elzan Bibic’s 3:37.84 a national indoor record in second, with McElhinney improving the Irish Under-23 mark of 3:41.24 which had stood to Frank Conway since 1989.

At that same meeting on Monday night, Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis broke his own world pole vault record*with a 6.19m, the highest vault in history, indoors or out.

McElhinney will run the 3,000m in Belgrade, with three 1,500m representatives in Andrew Coscoran, Luke McCann and Sarah Healy - all of whom are in form to make the final. The 21-year-old Healy also set a new Under-23 record last month with her 4:06.95, the second fastest ever by an Irish woman after Ciara Mageean.