Irish Seniors Deliver Records, PBs and Big Performances Across a Packed Indoor Week

The senior indoor circuit delivered a busy and varied week of competition in early February, with Irish athletes competing across World Athletics Indoor Tour meetings, domestic league action, and the European Club Cross Country Championships.

Action got underway on Tuesday at the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting. Emma Moore lined up in the Women’s 800m, finishing fifth in a high quality field with a time of 2:02.19. Moore is set to return to the track in Belgrade later this week. In the Men’s 800m, Mark English produced another major performance, finishing third in 1:44.23 to set a new Irish indoor national record, subject to ratification. The run lowered his own previous mark of 1:44.65, set in Luxembourg just over two weeks earlier, and marked his third national record breaking performance of the season when combined with his 600m effort in Abbotstown. Sarah Lavin was also in action in Ostrava in the Women’s 60m Hurdles, where she exited at the heat stage.

Thursday saw Irish athletes in action at the IFAM Meeting in Louvain la Neuve, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Challenger event. Jack Raftery opened his indoor campaign in the Men’s 400m, finishing fourth overall in a new national lead time of 47.01. In the Women’s 400m, Sophie Becker also began her indoor season with a strong outing, winning her heat and finishing second overall in 52.82, another national lead performance. The Women’s 1500m featured Lucy Holmes, who continued her steady progression with a fourth place finish in her heat and fourth overall, setting a new personal best of 4:22.12. Holmes also formed part of the Dublin City Harriers squad that competed in the mixed relay at the European Club Cross Country Championships later in the week.

On Friday, the focus shifted to Madrid for the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting. Sarah Lavin returned to the track in the Women’s 60m Hurdles and progressed to the final after placing third in her heat in 8.05. In the final, she finished eighth with a time of 8.37, rounding off a challenging week of racing against strong international opposition.

Saturday brought further senior action at the Cosma Indoor Cup in Kaunas, Lithuania, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Challenger event. Seán Doggett competed in the Men’s 400m C Final and claimed victory in his race with a new personal best of 47.30. The time ranked him third fastest overall across all heats.

Sunday featured one of the busiest days of the week, beginning in Dortmund at the Sparkassen Indoor Meeting, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze event. Luke McCann made a long awaited return to competitive action following an extended period away from the track due to injury that ruled him out for the entirety of the 2025 season. The Dubliner finished sixth in the Men’s 1500m with a time of 3:40.85.

Staying in Germany, Sarah Lavin closed out her busy week at the INIT Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, another World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold event. Competing once again in the Women’s 60m Hurdles, she placed fifth in her heat with a time of 8.09 and did not progress further.

Sunday also saw Irish clubs in action at the European Club Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal. In the Women’s U20 race, Lagan Valley AC recorded a solid fifth place finish, while Willowfield Harriers placed 13th. The Men’s U20 event saw Donore Harriers narrowly miss out on a podium position, finishing fourth overall just four points shy of bronze, with Clonliffe Harriers placing 16th. In the Senior Women’s race, Leevale finished eighth overall, with Finn Valley taking 13th. The Senior Men’s race saw Candour Track Club and Mullingar Harriers finish 16th and 17th respectively. The day concluded with the Mixed Relay, where Dublin City Harriers finished fourth, just outside the medals, followed closely by Ennis Track in fifth.

Domestic action rounded out the weekend with Round Two of the National Indoor League at TUS Athlone. In the Men’s League, there was no change to the top three standings. Clonliffe Harriers extended their lead to 201 points following wins from Mark Murray in the Men’s 60m and Seán Carrigg in the Men’s 1500m. Ratoath closed the gap to just three points on 198, aided by victories from Darragh Masterson in the Men’s 400m and their Men’s 4x200m relay squad. DSD remain firmly in contention with 168 points after second place finishes in the Men’s 400m and Men’s Shot Put.

In the Women’s League, Ratoath extended their lead to 202 points following a win in the Women’s 4x200m relay and a series of strong second place finishes. DSD held onto second place on 193 points, supported by a victory from Ciara Wilson Bowen in the Women’s 1500m Walk and consistent scoring across events. Dooneen moved into third place on 172 points, jumping ahead of St Laurence O’Toole after solid results in the Women’s 60m and Women’s 400m.

Among notable guest performances on the day, Ciara Neville clocked 7.26 in the Women’s 60m to move to fourth on the Irish all time list. Marcus Lawler posted 21.35 in the Men’s 200m, while Sophie Becker doubled back to record 23.67 over the same distance.

Image: Athenry AC