As the competition unfolds on screen, expert commentator Ellen Ellard will welcome a variety of athletes, coaches, team leaders and other guests to join her in the broadcast booth to share their thoughts on the event and the DNA concept.
Based on figures from the previous two editions of the Clash, it is expected that there will be more than 40,000 views of the streams on European Athletics’ YouTube channel by fans across the continent and beyond.
Saturday’s two qualifying matches will kick-off at 14:00 and 17:30 local time (15:00 and 18:30 CEST) and can be seen at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktZL8zfCkrw&ab_channel=EuropeanAthletics
On Sunday the B Final will start at 14:00 (15:00 CEST) and the A Final will begin at 17:30 (18:30 CEST). Both can be seen at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ByAzFB_ryQ&ab_channel=EuropeanAthletics
In addition, you can see video clips, photos and more on both @DynamicNewAthletics and @EuropeanAthletics social media channels.
And, of course, a report and the full results of all the matches will be posted here on www.dna.run.
Ratoath AC
Ratoath’s Sinéad McGoldrick, who will lead her team to the Clash of the Clubs as she did in 2022 and 2023, says winning the B Final last year in Rome was an exciting experience for the athletes and their supporters.
“It would be great to experience that again and bring home another cup but we are also hoping to go one step further this year and make the A Final.”
Ratoath looks like it will get off to good starts in its matches with a strong mixed 4x400m relay team and McGoldrick expects important contributions from two young sprinters, both of whom have already succeeded in the Clash.
Seventeen year-old Katie Doherty, who placed second in the 100m in the team’s B Final match last year scoring 10 points, has a personal best time of 12.00, which is the second fastest of the entries this year.
Osamudiamen Jesse Osas, 18, Ireland’s U18 record holder over 100m with 10.51, will be appearing in the 200m at the Clash for the third time, having placed fourth in the 2022 B Final as a 16 year-old and gained the full 12 points in last year’s B Final. His PB time of 21.83 ranks him fourth among this year’s entries.
If Ratoath happens to draw a first round match, or ends up in the same final, with Škoda Plzeň, Tara O’Connor, the club’s 16 year-old high jump star, could find herself in one of Pombal’s more fascinating match-ups.
Her personal best of 1.79m, which she has cleared on two occasions this year, exactly equals Adéla Hanáková’s mark as the best of the tournament’s entries.
Adding a layer of tactical intrigue, and stress, would be the head-to-head conduct of the discipline in DNA matches, where the jumpers must pick a height for a single, make or break attempt without knowing the height chosen by their competitor.
Imagine the situation. Do you select a height close to your best and risk a failure or do you go for a height you know you can make easily and risk your opponent, who performs at your same level, clearing something higher?
Add SK Elite’s Emma Lotta Jürvetson, with the third best PB in the field, to the competition mix and things could get very interesting indeed.
As was the case in previous years, McGoldrick expects a contingent of parents, coaches and athletes whose events are not part this year’s competition to support the team by travelling to Pombal.
“Word has got around about the nice time together everyone enjoyed on the first two trips so the interest in the trip is there,” she said, “and among the athletes it is even greater.”
“The younger kids in our club, 13 or 14 years old, are already talking about what they have to do the make the team in the future.”
McGoldrick added that through content on Ratoath’s website and social media accounts athletes at other clubs in Ireland are becoming aware of her club’s participation and success in the Clash and interest in DNA is growing.
“Ireland’s domestic calendar is so packed that integrating DNA competitions will be a challenge but the emphasis on the team is in line with our club’s philosophy for keeping young athletes in the sport so I will be starting conversations to see what can be done.”
