The TUS International Arena in Athlone is set to welcome the rising stars of Irish athletics on Saturday as they compete at the 123.ie U20 and U23 Indoor Championships (March 14th).
The entry lists feature a host of emerging talents, many of whom medalled at last month’s National Senior Indoor Championships. Among the standout names is Sean Doggett (Athenry AC), who looks set to line up in the U23 200m following his superb gold medal performance in the 400m at the senior championships last month.
The sprints promise to deliver compelling action throughout the day, with competitive racing expected across both age groups. Nkemjika Onwumereh (MSB) will aim to regain his U23 60m title after finishing third last year. He faces stiff opposition from athletes including Jamie Moffatt (North Down AC) and Jesse Osas (Ratoath AC), who broke Israel Olatunde’s longstanding U20 championship record over 60m last year. Joe Burke (Templemore AC) is another athlete to watch if he takes his place in the U20 200m.
In the women’s U20 200m, Hannah Falvey (Belgooly AC) and Daisy Walker (Monaghan Phoenix) are among the podium contenders. The U20 60m also looks set to feature several rising stars, including Molly Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers), who is entered in both the 200m and 400m. She could renew her rivalry with Katie Doherty (Ratoath AC), who holds entries in the 60m and 200m.
Daly is expected to be part of a high-quality U20 400m field alongside Erin Friel (Letterkenny AC). Fellow EYOF medallist Ellis McHugh (Ferrybank AC) and Saoirse Fitzgerald (Lucan Harriers), who drops down from the 800m, also add depth to the event. The St Laurence O’Toole duo of Sofia Granjo and Cassie O’Byrne have recently been added to the U20 4x400m squad following impressive early-season performances and cannot be discounted.
The endurance athletes will take to the track early on Saturday morning, with Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC) and last year’s runner-up Louie Woodger (MSB) looking like strong contenders for their respective U23 1500m titles.
Caolan McFadden (Cranford AC) could make an appearance in the U20 race following his victory at the All-Ireland Schools Championships in Belfast last weekend where he could be joined by the consistent Charlie O’Neill (Donore Harriers). The U20 women’s 1500m could be one of the races of the day, with Emily Bolton (Clonliffe Harriers), Pia Langton (Kilkenny City Harriers), Emma Hickey (United Striders), Freya Renton (Westport AC), and Holly Renton (Westport AC) all entered.
The 800m races also promise to be highly competitive, with Lorcan Forde Dunne (Ace Athletics Club) and Leia Ryan (MSB) expected to perform strongly in their respective events.
In the hurdles, Adam Nolan (St Laurence O’Toole AC) and Laura Frawley (Nenagh Olympic AC) will look to continue their winning runs in the U23 category. In the race walks, Aisling Lane (Mullingar Harriers) looks a strong favourite for the U23 title, while Seamus Clarke (Moyvalley AC) could return for the U20 race after achieving the qualifying standard for the World Race Walk Cup in Dudince last weekend. He may be joined on the start line by Daniel Glennon (Mullingar Harriers), who recently secured the U18 qualification standard.
There will also be plenty of action in the field events. Conor Penney (Craughwell AC) could make a return to the high jump in the U20 competition from 11:10am, while Emmanuel Osas (Ratoath AC) will aim to go back-to-back in the U23 event. Cara Ryan (Clonmel AC) is expected to feature strongly in both the long jump and high jump, while Enya Silkena (Ratoath AC) will be one to watch in the long jump.
Meabh Corkery (Midleton AC) is a notable entrant in the U20 pole vault. Meanwhile, Michael Kent (DMP AC) has opted to focus on the long jump this weekend, where he will compete alongside Ryan Onoh (Cork City AC) and John Paul Archibald (Newbridge AC).
Darragh Fahy (Loughrea AC) looks set to challenge for the title in the triple jump, while Kotryna Pacerinskaite (Fanahan McSweeney AC) is expected to be a strong contender in both the U23 shot put and weight for distance events. Kieran Keane (An Ríocht AC) and Theo Hanlon (Gowran AC) are also among the athletes to watch in the U20 shot put.
They are just some of the 587 athletes set to compete for national honours across the busy eight-hour schedule, which gets underway at 10am.
- Timetable HERE (Check-in closes 90min out from event)
- Live Stream via Athletics Ireland’s YouTube Channel: Subscribe HERE
- Entries & Live Results: HERE (Updated Sun March 14th)
- Spectator Tickets (U16s free): HERE
- Please note that pay and display parking will be in operation in some areas of the TUS car parks. Clamping will be in operation in parking below the track and at other locations on site.
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