Team Ireland have arrived in Slovenia ahead of the European Athletics Team Championships which take place in the city of Maribor this Saturday and Sunday (June 28^th and 29^th).

43 athletes have been selected by Athletics Ireland, who will compete in Division 2 of the Championships alongside 15 other countries. The top three countries will be gaining promotion to Division 1, while the bottom three countries are relegated to Division 3.

Each country fields one athlete per event across 37 disciplines – including sprints, hurdles, middle distance, long distance, jumps, throws and relays. Points are awarded based on placing, with the winner in each event getting 16 points with each subsequent place scoring one point fewer. Athletes who fail to finish or record a valid mark receive zero points.

Day One – Saturday June 28^th

Action gets underway at 1:30pm on Saturday with Sean Mockler (Moycarkey Coolcroo AC) in action in the Men’s Hammer Throw. Shortly afterwards, from 1:50pm, Shane Howard (Bandon AC) will take to the runway for the Men’s Long Jump.

The first action on the track is scheduled to get underway at 2:45pm with the Women’s and Men’s 400m Hurdles, featuring Donegal duo Arlene Crossan (Finn Valley AC) and Fintan Dewhirst (Tír Chonaill AC).

In the Women’s Pole Vault, Clodagh Walsh (Abbey Striders AC) will make her Irish senior international debut from 3:00pm, while all eyes will be on national record holder Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) at 3:25pm when she competes in the Discus.

Bori Akinola (UCD AC) has had a breakthrough 2025 making the semi-finals of the 60m at the European Indoor Championships in March, before lowering his personal best over the 100m twice this summer to date. The 23-year-old will aim to produce another big performance in the Men’s 100m at 3:30pm.

Lucy-May Sleeman (Leevale AC), who has been in the form of her life this season, goes in the Women’s 100m from 3:50pm.

Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock AC) will be the first of Ireland’s Paris 2024 Olympians to take to competition when he steps into the Men’s Shot Put circle from 3:40pm looking to gain valuable points for the team.

Another Olympian, Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC) takes to the track at 4:15pm for the Women’s 800m. O’Sullivan has shown strong form so far this outdoor season, becoming just the fifth Irish woman to win an NCAA Division I when she took gold in the 1500m for the University of Washington earlier this month.

The track action steps up in distance then with the Men’s 1500m. Shane Bracken (Swinford AC) will be in action at 4:40pm.

David Cussen (Old Abbey AC) is no stranger to competing at these championships, gaining maximum points for the team two years ago in Silesia. The eight-time national champion has a season’s best of 2.18m and will be hoping for another big clearance from 4:50pm on Saturday.

Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC) also gained maximum points at these championships two years ago and will be back in the green vest for the first time since being part of the Mixed and Women’s 4x400m relay teams who successfully qualified for the World Athletics Championships in early May. The Tipperary sprinter will be hoping for a strong performance in the Women’s 400m at 4:55pm.

The Men’s 400m gets underway at 5:15pm with Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers) set to take to the blocks for Ireland. Raftery impressed in taking victory at the recent UCD Athletics meet, clocking a personal best of 45.75.

Action will continue to come thick and fast in the field with 2023 European U20 Long Jump champion Elizabeth Ndudi (Dundrum South Dublin AC) competing from 5:05pm. Three-time national champion Grace Casey (Clonliffe Harriers) will represent Ireland once again in the Women’s Javelin from 5:25pm.

National 5000m record holder Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) made his Olympic debut last summer in Paris and will return to the Irish vest for the first time since when he races over twelve and a half laps in Slovenia from 5:35pm.

The final individual event on the track on the opening day is the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase which will feature the national U23 record holder for the event Ava O’Connor (Tullamore Harriers). O’Connor has broken the record twice this season and won the NCAA Division II in the event representing Adams State University.

The Women’s and Men’s 4x100m relays conclude the opening day. Lucy-May Sleeman (Leevale AC), Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC), Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC), Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) and Sarah Leahy (Killarney Valley AC) are part of the women’s squad who will be looking to put in a strong showing.

The Men’s squad of Bori Akinola (UCD AC), Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers), Michael Farrelly (Raheny Shamrock AC), Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC) and Sean Aigboboh (Tallaght AC) will be undoubtedly buoyed by the national record of 38.92 which they broke last weekend in Geneva and will hope to go even faster in Maribor.

Day Two – Sunday June 29^th

Day Two of the European Team Championships gets underway at 1:30pm with a Paris Olympian Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) in action in the Women’s Hammer Throw. The Cork athlete recently set a new personal best and extended her Irish U23 Hammer Throw record to 71.71m while competing in Finland.

Saragh Buggy (St. Abban’s AC) has a remarkable 22 national senior titles to her name in both the Triple Jump and Long Jump. She will compete in her favoured Triple Jump at these championships hoping to produce a strong performance in green.

In the Men’s Pole Vault, Conor Callinan (Leevale AC) will be in action from 3:00pm, while at 3:25pm Eoin Sheridan (Clonliffe Harriers) competes in the Men’s Discus. Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) is doubling up at these championships and will throw in the Women’s Shot Put from 3:35pm.

The first track events will be the sprint hurdles events. Adam Nolan (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) will make his Irish senior international debut from 3:30pm, while on the opposite end of the spectrum the experienced Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC), who has competed at two Olympic Games and holds the Irish record for 100m Hurdles, will pick up another Irish vest and look to gain big points for her team.

Track action steps up in distance then with the Women’s 1500m and Men’s 800m taking centre stage. Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC) will make her senior international debut at 4:20pm, before Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) races over two laps from 4:35pm.

Focus will also remain on the ongoing field event action. Aoife O’Sullivan (Liscarroll AC) competes in the Women’s High Jump from 4:50pm, Michael Alajiki (Dundealgan AC) takes to the runway in the Men’s Triple Jump at 5:05pm, while Conor Cusack (Lake District AC) is set to compete in the Men’s Javelin from 5:25pm.

Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC) will be looking to produce a strong performance in the Women’s 200m at 5:00pm, while Tokyo Olympian Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers) races in the Men’s event at 5:20pm.

Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) clocked a season’s best over 3000m in Finland last weekend and will hope her good recent form will continue over twelve and a half laps in the Women’s 5000m at 5:50pm.

The last individual track action of the weekend will see Finley Daly (Sligo AC) compete in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase.

The programme will finish in exciting fashion with the Mixed 4x400m relay. Sharlene Mawdsley (Newport AC), Arlene Crossan (Finn Valley AC), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers), Rachel McCann (North Down AC), Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers), Ciaran Carthy (Dundrum South Dublin AC) and Callum Baird (Ballymena & Antrim AC) make up a competitive squad who will have their eyes set on gaining significant points for the team and concluding the championships on a high.

Where to Watch

Both days of the European Athletics Team Championships Division 2 will be livestreamed by Eurovision Sport HERE.

About Eurovision Sport

Eurovision Sport is the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) digital streaming platform, created to make sports content freely available and accessible to all audiences. Developed in collaboration with EBU Members — the world’s largest alliance of public service media — Eurovision Sport streams events live and on-demand in a free-to-watch model, complementary to coverage provided by the EBU Members, to ensure that every second of every event collectively acquired has coverage.

Note: Sophie Becker (Women’s 400m and Mixed 4x400m Relay), Andrew Egan (Men’s 200m and Men’s 4x100m Relay), Cillín Greene (Men’s 400m and Mixed 4x400m Relay) and Michaela Walsh (Shot Put) were all initially selected but have since withdrawn.

Updated Team Selection: