Entries closing for Le Cheile International

Entries closing soon for Le Chéile International

The 3rd Edition of the Le Chéile International in association with the Irish Milers Club will take place on Saturday 30th July in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, and will build on the tremendous success of the last two years with some exciting new events and innovations. Entries are NOW OPEN through the Irish Milers Club website. We will once again cater for athletes of all abilities but entries are filling up fast and will close on Wednesday 27th, so don't delay in securing your place on the start line. Follow this link to enter HERE

One of the highlights of the meet will be the Ronnie Delany 1500m, which will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Delany’s historic gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. The race promises to be a fitting tribute, with last year’s 1500m winner Tom Lancashire (GBR, 3.33.96) returning to face runner-up, John Travers (3.37.27), and one of the three athletes who broke the four minute mile barrier at the 2014 meet, Jordy Williamsz (AUS, 3.36.74). Ronnie will be on hand to present the prizes for the race, which is organised in association with Crusaders AC.

Last summer, Angela Petty (NZ) set a personal best when winning the 1500m at Le Chéile and followed this up by claiming the World Student Games title over 800m. Petty will return to Leixlip this year, this time to do battle at the shorter distance. Boasting a best of 1.59.06, Petty will be tough to beat, but the likes of Katy Brown (GBR, 2.02.33), Rowena Cole (GBR, 2.02.88) and 2014 Le Chéile winner Laura Crowe (2.00.93) will fancy their chances of causing an upset.

For the first time, the Le Chéile International will have international participation in the sprint events. On the Men’s side, the top Irish athletes will face tough overseas competition in the 100m, 200m and 400m. Leading entries in the shorter sprints include Jamaican 4x200m record holder Kevin Thompson (10.31, 20.66) and Northern Ireland’s Leon Reid (10.34, 20.62). Recent winner of the Belfast International, Theo Campbell, who boasts a best of 46.02, will fancy his chances over one lap, but will face stern opposition from home favourite and double European Indoor Champion David Gillick (44.77). In the Women’s sprint events, Phil Healy (11.49, 23.79) and Niamh Whelan (11.63, 23.30), who recently competed at the European Championships, will be joined by World U20 relay finalist Sharlene Mawdsley (11.80, 23.55) and Nigeria’s Stephanie Kalu (11.33, 23.57).

Having featured in every edition of the Le Chéile International, the 400m Hurdles will once again provide a highlight. 2012 African Games gold medalist Cristian Morton of Nigeria (48.79) leads the male entries. Haging just returned from the European Championships in Amsterdam, Paul Byrne (50.72) will be aiming for victory against the likes of last year’s runner-up Jacob Paul (GBR, 50.20) and Jack Lawrie (GBR, 50.85). Jessie Barr (55.93) will continue her comeback from injury in the Women’s 400m Hurdles and will face tough opposition from last year’s top two, Jess Turner (GBR, 57.00) and Shona Richards (GBR, 56.05), as well as Eva Duinslaeger (BEL, 57.64).

The Men’s Long Jump provides the final international event, and the solitary one in the field. David John Martin (GBR, 7.40) leads the entries.

Outside of the international events, the meet will once again cater for all athletes across a full range of events, from 100m to 3000m on the track, and the Long Jump and Shot Putt in the field. The Irish Milers Club will once again ensure top quality organisation and efficiency on the day, and entries are NOW OPEN through their website, but will close on Wednesday. One exciting addition for 2016 is the live streaming of the event in association with nTrai. They will provide full coverage of all races, including interviews and analysis across the 3 hours of the programme.

Further details and information regarding the 2016 Le Chéile International are available on our website at www.lecheileac.com/international. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, @lecheileintl, to keep up with all the latest news.