The stars of Irish athletics will take to national competition this weekend as the 123.ie National Indoor Athletics Championships take centre stage at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena across February 28th and March 1st.
In a first for the National Indoor Championships, Virgin Media will provide a live two-hour broadcast on Virgin Media 2 from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on Sunday – a major milestone for the sport that reflects the growing national interest in Irish athletics.
Tickets for Sunday are already sold-out and spectators should not travel to the venue without a ticket. A limited number of tickets for Saturday are still available, with both days of competition being streamed fully on the Athletics Ireland YouTube Channel.
The action gets underway from 12pm on Saturday, with a second helping also taking place on Sunday from 11.30am.
A host of stars are scheduled to return to competition on home soil across the two days, including Kate O’Connor (long jump/60m hurdles), Mark English (800m), Sarah Lavin (60m hurdles), Sharlene Mawdsley (400m), Andrew Coscoran (3000m/1500m), and recent 60m record-breaker Bori Akinola (60m).
Saturday’s track action will be headlined by finals in the 200m and 60m hurdles, while attention in the field events will be firmly focused on competitive looking high jump and triple jump competitions. The women’s 60m hurdles in particular has a star-studded feel with both Sarah Lavin and Kate O’Connor among the entries.
Day 2 of these championships will see a flurry of finals which look set to include newly crowned 60m record-holder Bori Akinola (60m) who will bid to make it back-to-back senior indoor titles. The highly anticipated men’s and women’s 400m boast strong lineups, while a potential appearance from World silver medallist Kate O’Connor could make the women’s long jump one of the most anticipated events of the day.
Further spice is sure to be added to this weekend’s proceeding with the upcoming World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, on the horizon (20-22 March).
How to follow:
- Top list for 2026 indoors HERE
- Weekend timetable HERE
- Watch on Athletics Ireland YouTube HERE
- Virgin Media TV Coverage Sunday March 1st from 2.30pm – 4.30pm
- Live Results (Updated from Saturday Feb 28th) HERE
- Spectator Tickets HERE (Sunday Feb March 1st is sold out)
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28TH
TRACK THRILLS
The heats of the 400m and 1500m will get the track action underway on Saturday, with the first track final (200m) set to take place at 3.50pm (heats 1.42pm).
The men’s 200m race should make a compelling watch with defending champion Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers) sure to be a tough nut to crack once more. Mark Smyth (Raheny Shamrock) will be chief threat if returning following some early season set-backs.
Defending champion Katie Bergin (Moyne AC) is back among the entries in the women’s 200m, while last year’s silver medallist Kate O’Connell (Lucan Harriers) is sure to be in the shake-up once more. Both will need to fend off Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock) who looks set to go in search of her first senior 200m indoor title.
The finals of the 60m hurdles will follow at 4.10pm where Sarah Lavin will look to claim her EIGHTH national indoor 60m hurdles title. The Emerald AC star picked up gold last year and is sure to have her sights on retaining the title with another major championships on the horizon.
Molly Scott (St Laurence O’Toole AC) looks to be the chief challenger once again, while an appearance from World silver medallist Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerards) could very well shake up the leading placings.
The men’s 60m hurdles will see Adam Nolan (St. L. O’Toole AC) out to continue his winning streak of national titles. A performance of 7.95 was enough to see him pick up gold last year and a similar effort will see him hard to beat.
Away from Saturday’s track finals, the heats of the 800m should attract plenty of attention with Mark English (UCD AC) and Emma Moore (Galway City Harriers) looking two of the standout entries.
The early afternoon session is not to be missed with the heats of the 1500m sure to provide plenty of pointers as to where the 2026 national titles will go.
The 4x200m relays will round out the track action on day 1 from 4.55pm.
FIELD FOCUS (SATURDAY)
The women’s high jump competition gets underway from 1.15pm and it has the potential to be one of the closest competitions of the weekend with Sommer Lecky (Finn Valley) and Aoife O’Sullivan (Liscarroll Ac) capable of challenging for gold.
Craughwell’s Conor Penney continues to prove one of Ireland’s most exciting field athletes and is not to be missed in the men’s high jump, while Emmanuel Osas (Ratoath AC) was third last year and will have sights set on moving up the podium.
It appears nine-time national indoor triple jump champion Saragh Buggy (St Abbans) will not be back to defend her title which opens the door for a new champion in a wide-open contest. Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen (Raheny Shamrock AC) and Anna Ryan (Moycarkey Coolcroo AC) will be right in contention.
The men’s triple jump winner could be a little harder to predict. Michael Alajiki (Dundealgan AC) and Jai Benson (Lagan Valley AC) have both already gone over 14 meters this season and could duke it out for gold.
Michael Healy (Leevale AC) and Kotryna Pacerinskaite (Fanahan Mc Sweeney AC) continued their dominance of the WFD last year and look the ones to beat again in their respective competitions on Saturday.
SUNDAY MARCH 1ST
SOLD OUT SUPER SUNDAY
Kate Veale (West Waterford AC) will rank as one of this weekend’s leading favourites for gold as she goes in search of her 9th indoor title in a row (*2021 micro meet). Aisling Lane (Mullingar Harriers AC) and Ciara Wilson Bowen (Dundrum South Dublin AC) completed last year’s podium and look the main challengers to Veale.
Olympian David Kenny (Farranfore Maine Valley AC) returns to national championship action in the men’s 5,000m walk (1.00pm) where he will look to make it SIX indoor titles in a row. Oisin Lane (Mullingar Harriers) was second last year and looks the chief threat to Kenny’s crown on Sunday.
The men’s 3,000m B and C finals start from1.30pm and have attracted a bumper entry. The men’s A final is set for 3.00pm and much will depend on the direction of athletes who hold multiple entries. Last year’s men’s 3,000m delivered the finish of the championships with Sean Tobin coming out on top of a titanic tussle with James Gormley. Among this year’s entries are Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC), Nick Griggs (CNDR Track), and Darragh McElhinney (Bantry AC) to name but a few.
The women’s 3000m is set for a 2.35pm start and will begin the first event of the live Virgin Media TV coverage in style. Last year’s champion Roisin Flanagan is not amongst the entries, but there is no lack in depth in this field with Fiona Everard (Bandon AC), Michelle Finn (Leevale AC), and an intriguing entry from last year’s 800m champion Louise Shanahon (Leevale AC) making this race one not to be missed.
3.15pm will see the finalists in the 1500m take to the track and we can expect more fireworks if the 2025 editions were anything to go by. Sarah Healy (UCD AC) set a championship record on her way to gold last year but will not be back in Dublin to retain her title which will open the door for Olympian Jodie McCann (Dublin City Harriers) to stamp her authority on the event. Lucy Holmes (West Waterford AC) was second last year and another bold run can be expected, while Madison Mooney of Tullamore Harriers has been running well this season and could make her presence felt.
The men’s 1500m race looks hard to call with Andrew Coscoran and Nick Griggs holding multiple entries this weekend. Lughaidh Mallon (UCD AC) is not to be discounted, while the return of Luke McCann (UCD AC) to national competition is sure to be a welcome sight following his long injury lay-off.
The women’s 400m could provide another of this weekend’s highlights with Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) set to take her place in defence of her title. Mawdsley looks set to head an entry that includes Arlene Crossan (Finn Valley), Jenna Breen (City of Lisburn), Niamh Murray (Bray Runners) and a whole host of exciting 400m sprinters.
The men’s 400m sees the return of Sean Doggett (Athenry AC) who takes to the blocks following his recent 46.99PB. South Galway’s David Mannion has also been flying this indoor season, while few will bet against Cillin Green (Galway City Harriers) showing his class if lining up in Sunday’s final.
The women’s 60m final is set for a 3.55pm start where Sarah Leahy (Killarney Valley AC) will look to defend her title. Chief challenger could likely come from 2020 indoor champion Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) who clocked a superb PB of 7.26 in Athlone earlier this month, following on from the form that saw her claim the 2025 national 100m title.
Bori Akinola (UCD AC) will look to defend his 60m crown on Sunday in the men’s 60m. Akinola broke Israel Olatunde’s 60m record in Serbia earlier this season with a stunning 6.54 at the Belgrade Indoor Meeting.
The 24-year-old had already ticked off the qualifying standard for the World Indoor Championships in Poland next month and looks the one to catch on Sunday.
The 800m races will round out Virgin Media’s coverage with the women’s 800m set to have a new champion. Emma Moore (Galway City Harriers) broke her then Irish U23 indoor 800m record back on January 28th, and a reproduction of anything close to her 2:01.21 would make her hard to beat as she goes in pursuit of her first senior title. Hannah Seagrave (Clonliffe Harriers) and Saoirse Fitzgerald (Lucan Harriers) are two who have the tactical speed to go with any moves as the race heats up.
The men’s 800m will be dictated by the presence of national record holder Mark English (Finn Valley) who has looked as sharp as ever this indoor season. The Donegal athlete has already lowered the national indoor record to 1:44.23 NR this indoor season and it would be a fitting sign off to the live TV coverage was he to claim his 19th national title (indoors and outdoors).
The 4x400m relays will end the track action at this year’s 123.ie National Indoor Championships from 4.35pm with UCD (Women) and Ratoath (Men) out to defend their titles.
FIELD FINALS
The men’s pole vault will headline the morning’s action in the field events with not much in the way of recent form to gauge how the field is coming into this weekend. Defending champion Michael Kent (DMP AC) could very well be the one to beat once again with an appearance in the long jump also on the cards.
The women’s pole vault has a more open feel to it with Meabh Corkery (Midleton AC) sure to be in the reckoning as she looks to retain the title. Kara Morrissey (St. L. O’Toole AC) will look to win her second indoor title having won gold in 2024 at just 16-years of age.
The women’s long jump looks another open affair with Lauren Callaghan (Finn Valley AC) back to defend her title. Multi-event stars Kate O’Connor (Dundalk St Gerards) and Anna McCauley (City of Lisburn) also hold entries which could make this jump off one to get the crowd on their feet.
The men’s long jump could see Leevale dominate with Sam Healy (Leevale AC) already jumping 7.28m this season, while a returning Reece Ademola (Leevale AC) has shown a remarkable ability to jump big on his season opener.
Five of the top six finishers from last year’s women’s shot-put are returning to action this weekend with Michaela Walsh (Swinford AC) set to go in search of her 9th indoor title in a row. The Swinford athlete comes here with a best of 14.14m this season but is capable of throwing over 15 meters which would likely secure gold.
Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock AC) looks a red-hot favourite in the men’s shot with the Raheny athlete having already thrown 19.95m this season.
