Aoife Cooke (Eagle AC) has secured the qualifying time for the marathon in Tokyo with a 2.28.30 performance at the Cheshire elite marathon this morning. The winning time smashed her personal best of 2:32:34, which she ran to win the Irish marathon title in Dublin in 2019. The result places Cooke 4th on the Irish all-time list, just ahead of Sonia O'Sullivan. Cooke joins Fionnuala McCormack in securing the 2021 Olympic marathon standard.

Ann-Marie McGlynn was also competing at the Cheshire marathon, running the race of her life to finish in 2.29.34 PB which was just 4 seconds outside the Olympic standard.

Both athletes had acquired elite athlete exemptions to compete in this morning's event.