Dublin Clubs Roundup, 18 - 22 June 2025

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ANOTHER FAST TIME FOR SARAH HEALY

Sarah Healy (UCD AC) moved into second place on the all-time Irish rankings when clocking a personal best time of 3:57.15 for a fighting second place in the 1500m at the Paris Diamond League meet on Friday (June 20). Race winner was behind Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir. Ciara Mageean with a time of 3:55.87 from 2023 tops the rankings. In the men’s 800m, Mark English (Finn Valley AC) finished sixth in 1:43.98 - his second sub 1:44 time. 

SPRINTERS SHARPEN UP

With the European Athletics team championships next weekend, Irish athletes were sharpening up at meets all over Europe over the past week. On Sunday, at the Stratford Open Speed Meet in London, Bori Akinola (UCD AC) , a member of the 4 x100m squad, smashed his previous best time for 100m when winning his heat in 10.10 secs. Although that was the fastest Irish time ever, Akinola was helped by a following +2.9 wind, with +2 the limit for a legal time. Almost all the Irish at the meet benefited from the wind. Mollie O’Reilly (Dundrum South Dublin AC) won her first round 100m heat (one of 16) in 11.68 secs with a +2.3 following wind. She clocked 11.75 in her second attempt later in the afternoon when the wind had died down to +0.9. Aisling Kelly (UCD AC) won her heat in the second round in 11.53 (+3.2 wind) after finishing second earlier on in 11.73 (+2.4 wind). Others in action included Nkemjika Onwumereh (Metro St Brigid’s AC) 10.59 (+3.2), and Alamin Balkole (Fingallians AC) 10.60 (also +3.2).

IRISH RELAY TEAM SMASH 25 YEAR OLD RECORD

Irish sprinters were out in force at Alteticageneve EAP, Switzerland on Saturday (June 21) and the reward was a new Irish men’s record of 38.92 secs for second place in the 4 x 100m relay. Making up the team were Dublin club athletes Michael Farrelly (Raheny Shamrock), Bori Akinola (UCD AC), Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers) and Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC). The previous record of 39.26 set was set at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In the men’ individual 100m, Olatunde won his heat in 10.23 and made it through to the final, where he finished eighth in 10.30. Akinola finished 11th overall in a personal best 10.25, Farrelly 21st in 10.44 and Aigboboh 28th in 10.63. In the women’s 100m heats, Aisling Kelly (UCD AC) finished fourth in 11.75, while in the men’s 200m, Marcus Lawler finished tenth overall in 20.63.

Over the longer distances, Sean Cronin (Clonliffe Harriers) was third in 3:45.06 in the B 1500 race at the BMC Loughborough meet on Sunday (June 22). England-based Ella Fennelly (Dundrum South Dublin AC) won the women’s A 3000m in a personal best time of 9:17.87. Earlier in the week, at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday (June 17), Cathal Doyle (Clonliffe Harriers) finished fourth in the 1500m in 3:35.00 — slower than the personal best 3:32.15 he had run in Rome eleven days earlier. On Friday July 11, Doyle will defend his Morton Mile title at the annual Morton Games in Santry stadium, for which tickets are now available.

GOOD LUCK IRELAND!

Ireland’s squad of forty-six athletes faces teams from fifteen other countries at the European Team Championships Second Division in Maribor, Slovenia on June 28/19, with Sarah Lavin the only big name selected. Dublin club members selected are Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) 800m, Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) 5000m, Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock AC) shot, and Eoin Sheridan (Clonliffe Harriers) discus of the men, and Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock AC) 400m, Elizabeth Ndudi (DSD AC), long jump, Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) discus, Grace Casey (Clonliffe Harriers) javelin, and hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) of the women. Selected for the 4x100m relay sqaud are Michael Farrelly (Raheny Shamrock), Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC), Sean Aigboboh (Tallaght AC), Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers), and Bori Akinola (UCD AC). Ciaran Carthy (DSD AC) makes his debut on the mixed 4 x 400m squad.

UCD ATHLETICS MEET

Performance of the day at the UCD Athletics Meet in Belfield on Wednesday (June 18) came from Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers) whose winning time of 45.75 was a personal best. Australian visitor Hamish Donohue won the A grade men’s 800m in 1:48.68, with Finn Woodger (MSB AC) third in 1:49.22. In the women’s 800m in 2:05.94 Niamh Carr (DCH) was third in 2:09.82. Fastest in the women’s 100m was Mollie O’Reilly (DSDAC) in11.67, with Aisling Kelly (UCD AC) second in 11.70. Bori Akinola (UCD AC) won his heat of the 100m in 10.35, followed by Sean Aigboboh (Tallaght ) in 10.42. Lorcan Murphy (DSD) the former Irish basketball international player turned multi-eventer, finished third in a personal best 10.46 which was also a club record. In the final later on, Akinola was again the winner in 10.27 followed by Aigboboh in 10.39 but unfortunately they were helped by a +2.1 following wind. Finishing second in the women’s long jump was Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen (Raheny Shamrock) with a best of 5.44m. Concluding the main programme were the 1500m races, and in the women’s A race, Leia Ryan (MSB) finished second in 4:25.84 and Ellie Hartnett (UCD AC) third in 4:25.89 .Winning the men’s A race was Wolfgang Cotra Nemess from Australia in 3:50.80. In the pre-programme, Kate O’Connell (Lucan Harriers) won a 200m heat in 24.09, followed by Kate Doherty (DSD AC) in 24.37. Oisin McCorry (Raheny Shamrock) won the men’s 400m hurdles in 56.70. Winning the men’s 3000m in 8:13.86 was Jonas Stafford (UCD).

ROADS

Road race of the week was the Michael Manning 10km in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, where David McGlynn (West Waterford AC) raced away from Tadhg Donnelly (Drogheda and District AC) for victory in 29 mins 30 secs. First Dublin athlete was Ian Guiden (Clonliffe Harriers) who finished seventh in 30:48. Eanna Moynihan Ó Bradaigh (DSD) finished tenth in 31:34 and Tomas Fitzpatrick (Tallaght AC) 13th and second M50 in 31:34. First woman was Dublin-based Íde Nic Dhomhnaill (West Limerick AC, W40) in 33:16. Alex Murphy (UCD AC) was third in 35:26, while finishing fourth and fifth were DCH pair Faye Dervan in 35:54 and Cliona Murphy in 35:54. Sixth and first W45 was Noreen Brouder (Sportsworld AC) in 36.25. Other age group winners from Dublin clubs were Cillian O’Leary (Raheny ShamrockAC) M45, Colm Murray (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) M55 and Gerry Boyle (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) M65 of the men and Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock AC) W55 and Catherine Brogan (Portmarnock AC) W50 of the women.

Winning the Peugeot Series team prize for mixed teams was Dundrum South Dublin AC. A total of nineteen teams had entered, with Civil Service Harriers fourth and Clonliffe Harriers fifth. Sportsworld proved best of the 42 women’s teams entered,while . Raheny Shamrock was second, DSD third and Clonliffe Harriers fourth of the astouening 62 men’s teams entered.