Emma Moore surprised even herself eight days before Christmas when, at a low-key indoor athletics meet, she ran an outright personal best and set a new national indoor U23 record of 2:02.39 for the 800m.

That time was just 0.19 seconds shy of the World Indoor Championship ‘B’ standard set by Athletics Ireland.

It capped a hectic period for the 21-year-old, who was juggling training with a teaching degree placement at DCU. Yet Moore explained that the 2:02 mark was simply a long-delayed goal finally realised.

“It was a surprise because we stepped out of a winter block and just decided, let’s see where the fitness is at… So, was I surprised? Yes,” Moore told Athletics Ireland.

“Surprised that it was a national record, as I actually didn’t know before I went out and raced, which is always a good thing.

“I thought I might have dipped into the 2:02s during the summer… I knew what the world B standard was, though, so that was in the back of my head, but I couldn’t have been disappointed with that. I was delighted and just keep chipping away at that now and see where it gets me.”

Her progress over the past two years has been remarkable. Moore slashed her previous best of 2:10.05 (set in 2023) by eight seconds, but her talent was evident early on, winning Irish schools titles in the event.

Like many young athletes, injuries stalled her rise. A knee issue followed by bone injuries in 2023 and 2024 limited her ability to break into the senior ranks.

Last July, Moore earned her first Ireland call-up for the European U23 Championships in Bergen, competing in both the 800m and 4x400m relay.

Now, her ambitions are even bigger: she has one eye on the World Indoor Championships in Poland this March.

Initially, that goal felt far-fetched when she sat down with coach Joe Ryan last October, but Moore now believes in the plan.

“When I sat down with Joe in October and we were throwing out these competitions, Worlds and Europeans, I was like, ‘OK, this is a bit far-fetched’, but I’m in the mix now.

“It’s all about trusting him, trusting his plan, and trusting myself, trusting my body, because that’s something I haven’t been able to do over the last few years, just with injury.”

It’s been nearly two years since an Irish woman broke the two-minute barrier, Ciara Mageean last did so with her national record of 1:58.51 in May 2024, but the event is on the rise again, and Moore wants to help lead the charge.

“The 800m has been kind of touch and go over the years… I hope a few girls are back on that start line and we can just show where 800 metres is at in Ireland at the moment because I think there needs to be a big push on.

“We now have a big influx of girls running two minutes flat. During the summer, that national final, the outdoor final, was one of the best races of the year, I would say.”

For decades, breaking two minutes was the ultimate goal for women in the 800m. Mageean finally managed the feat in 2020, but the expected surge never materialised, with Louise Shanahan the only other Irish woman to follow Mageean.

Moore isn’t rushing to join that club, though she acknowledges the standard has shifted dramatically.

“I’m not in a rush to run sub two. I think that’s going to be there… I suppose the new 800 metre standard now is 1:56, 1:57, 1:58, which is just a bit mad, but it’s great to see it’s just pushed on so much in the last few years.

“Us Irish girls need to push each other over the line. I think if we see one or two people going back into those 1:58s again, then there’s nothing to stop anyone from breaking two here in Ireland consistently.”

Moore recently completed a 10-day training camp in Portugal to prepare for her indoor season.

On Saturday, she will race in Luxembourg, her first World Indoor Tour Silver meeting, before lining up at the Gold-level Belgrade event on 11 February.

Her late-2025 breakthrough has already caught the attention of European meet organisers.

“I’m racing the silver meet in Luxembourg next week, which I couldn’t have even imagined this happening so quickly after running that 2:02.

“It’s just about sitting, hanging on and trying to chip away at the time again and enjoy it. You hear Sarah (Healy) and the M11 group are all about just enjoying racing and it’s obviously paying off for them. I think that’s the hack, we need to just jump on that bandwagon, and just enjoy training.

“I feel like that’s something I’ve had an issue with in the past, is going into nationals and… just shying away from them and just not wanting to go in and prove where I’m at and that I can compete with these people.

“I think that’s really what the last race there with the 2:02 has given me, is just confidence to know I deserve to be here.

“When I stand on that start line next week at the silver meet, I’m not going to shy away, I hope. I hope I just go in and prove where my fitness is at.”

Emma is from Galway and is a member of Galway City Harriers. Club website HERE. 

Emma is also a member of the Athletics Ireland National Endurance Group, you can watch the video below or read more about the programme HERE.