The Athletics Ireland GreenTrack Philanthropic Programme hosted a special commemorative dinner in New York last night (Jan 31^st) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in Irish athletics history: the men’s World 4×1 Mile Relay record set in Dublin in 1985.

On 17 August 1985, the Irish relay team of Eamonn Coghlan, Marcus O’Sullivan, Frank O’Mara, and Ray Flynn delivered a performance for the ages, recording a world-record time of 15:49.08 in front of more than 8,000 spectators at UCD’s Belfield campus. Four decades later, the record remains unbroken, a lasting testament to the exceptional talent and legacy of the quartet.

All four athletes were in attendance at Saturday night’s event, where they were formally honoured and presented with commemorative gifts by Athletics Ireland President, Bríd Golden. The evening brought together supporters of Irish athletics from both sides of the Atlantic to celebrate a defining moment in the sport’s history and to reaffirm a shared commitment to its future.

Athletics Ireland continues to develop diversified income streams to support its growing membership of more than 75,000 athletes nationwide and to enhance resources for its high-performance programmes. In 2025 alone, Irish athletes have represented the country at more than 20 international events. The sport in Ireland spans a broad and inclusive spectrum, encompassing walking, running, jumping and throwing across indoor, cross-country, track, road, mountain and ultra-running disciplines.

About GreenTrack

GreenTrack is the philanthropic programme of Athletics Ireland, established to support, nurture and develop young athletic talent nationwide. Through patron-led fundraising, GreenTrack aims to create a sustainable support system that enables early talent identification, performance coaching, educational development and long-term career support.

By investing in young athletes at the earliest stages of their journey, GreenTrack helps ensure Ireland’s next generation of stars have the opportunity to progress to the highest levels of competition, including the European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games.