Name: Laura Nicholson
Club: Bandon AC
Event: 1,500m
Personal Best: 4:07.17
Tokyo Schedule: Sat 13 September 11:50am (Heats), Sun 14th September 13:05pm (Semi-Final), with the Final Scheduled for Tue 16th September at 14:05pm
Background
Coached by Andrea McDonough, the University of Toledo graduate in Recreational Theraphy has had a terrific 2024/2025 season. Laura was a promising juvenile athlete with Bandon AC, winning track titles and representing Ireland twice at the European u20 Cross Country. Initially she spent three years at Temple University (Philadelphia) before transferring to Toledo (Ohio) for her final year. Winner of several American Athletic Conference titles while with Temple, it was in Toledo that she had her best athletics year. In her indoor season she was named “The most outstanding Track performer” at the Mid-Atlantic Conference as she won the 800m, mile and 3000m – setting a conference record for the mile. At the Wake Forest Invitational, she ran the 17th fastest 1500m in NCAA history. She finished 8th in the 1500m at the World Student games in Germany.
Tokyo is a first for Laura on many accounts: her first World Championship, her first Senior Major and the first person ever from the University of Toledo to compete at a World Championships.
International Majors
2018: European Cross Country u20, Slovakia – 39th
2018: European Cross Country u20, Tilburg – 60th
2023: American Athletic Conference Kansas 800, 1500 2nd Finals
2023: American Athletic Conference Florida 800, 1500 2nd & 1st Finals
2024: Mid-American Conference Illinois 800, 1500 1st Finals
2025: Mid-American Conference Michigan 800, mile, 3000 1st Finals
2025: World University Games Germany 8th Final
2025: World Championships 1500m, Tokyo
Personal Bests
800m: 2:00.28 14/7/2024
1500m: 4:07.17 18/4/2025
Mile: 4:30.85 14/2/2025
5000m 15:33.04 28/3/2025
1500m (i): 4:13.06 15/2/2025
3000m (i): 9:13.54 17/12/2025