Mayo connection to Team Ireland member competing at World Athletics Championships
Ireland’s top athletics stars will join over 2,000 athletes from 200 countries at the World Athletics Championships, which take place in the Hungarian capital of Budapest from August 19 to 27.
Mayo may not have an athlete in the team but one of the members has a connection with the county. Eric Favors of Raheny Shamrocks AC will be taking part in the shot put, and his grandmother hails from Ballina.
The Irish squad is the largest ever selected for a World Athletics Championships. It will be spearheaded by European Championship medal winners Ciara Mageean (1,500m) and Mark English (800m), while Sarah Lavin (100mh) and Rhasidat Adeleke (400m and relay) will also look to continue their outstanding seasons.
Irish record holders Andrew Coscoran (1,500m) and Brian Fay (5,000m) will be targeting world final appearances, while recent European medallists Sophie O’Sullivan (1,500m), Sarah Healy (1,500m), and Nick Griggs (1,500m) will all look to gain valuable senior championship experience.
In all, 15 of the 24 Irish athletes selected for Budapest 2023 have set new personal bests in their respective events this year, making the prospect of surpassing last year’s total of nine top 24 placings at the World Championships in Oregon a realistic target.
Favors, the Irish shot put record-holder, will be in action on the opening day of competition. The Raheny athlete is set to take his place in the qualifying round from 9.30 a.m., where he can be expected to challenge his 20.66m national record.
Elsewhere on opening day, David Kenny (Farranfore Main Valley) will be leading out the Irish charge in the 20km walk from 7.50 a.m. (Irish time), while Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerard's AC) gets her busy weekend up and running in the first of her four heptathlon events at 9.35 a.m. (100m hurdles). The high jump, shot put and 200m also await the Irish record holder on the opening day of competition.
The mixed 4 x 400m relay team has been one of the leading lights at major championships in recent years, reaching the finals at both the Tokyo Olympics and World Championships in Oregon. The team, which includes Roisin Harrison, Callum Baird, Christopher O'Donnell, Sophie Becker, Jack Raftery and Sharlene Mawdsley, will go in search of another global final in round one qualifying from 10.05 a.m.
Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn AC) will lead the trio of Irish athletes in the 1,500m, with the City of Lisburn AC star arriving in Budapest full of confidence having smashed Sonia O’Sullivan’s long-standing national mile record last month with an incredible 4.14.58.
Mageean will be joined in the 1,500m by European Under 23 medallists Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC) and Sarah Healy (UCD AC), who will look to take the next step in their development among world class opposition.
Saturday’s evening session will see Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC), Luke McCann (UCD AC) and Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) take their places in round one of a stacked looking men’s 1,500m.
For the first time ever, Virgin Media will broadcast live coverage of the World Athletics Championships, returning the event to Irish terrestrial television for the first time in decades. The championships will see Virgin Media present live coverage across all nine days.