Athletics - Irish Olympic Team and Timetable

27 Jul 2016

The Irish Track and Field team are jetting off to Brazil tomorrow (July 28) for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Athletics action takes place from the 12th-21st of August. You can find out the full details of the team and timetable below.

High Performance Director Kevin Ankrom said: "Results have been on the upswing for the last couple weeks with Mark English (UCD) starting to return to form, Sara Treacy running a PB in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Ciara Mageean's (UCD) European medal. I see these performances as an encouraging step to having a good Olympic Games in Rio."

Team Profiles

Ciara Mageean

Club: UCD

Event: 1500

Personal best: 4:06.49

Coach: Jerry Kiernan

Ciara Mageean announced herself as a hot prospect for the future when she won a silver medal over 1500m at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Moncton, Canada in 2010 but injury has curtailed her full development to date. The UCD physiotherapy graduate has shown flashes of brilliance and will be aiming for at least the semi-final. With a clean bill of health she has been delivering on her promise with a European bronze medal.

Thomas Barr

Club: Ferrybank

Event: 400m Hurdles

Personal best: 48.65

Coach: Haley and Drew Harrison

The World University Games champion goes into the championships on the comeback trail having been injured. His first outdoor races were at the national championships and he made the semi-finals at the European Championships in Amsterdam.

Kevin Seaward

Club: St Malachy’s

Event: Marathon

Personal best: 2:14:52

Coach: Andrew Hobdell

Seaward is the fastest marathon qualifier for Rio with his 2:14:52 in the Berlin marathon back in September 2015. The school teacher finished 42nd at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff in March with 65:23.

Mick Clohisey

Club: Raheny Shamrock

Event: Marathon

Personal best: 2:15:11

Coach: Dick Hooper

Clohisey has been the most consistent distance runner on the domestic scene for the past 18 months winning national titles over cross country and on the road. He is coached by three-time marathon Olympian Dick Hooper.

Paul Pollock

Club: Annadale Striders

Event: Marathon

Personal best: 2:15:38

Coach: Andrew Hobdell

Paul Pollock showed great form at the World Half in March with a 14th place finish in Cardiff with 62:46. The doctor is a training partner of Kevin Seaward and is based in London. His brother Noel is the head doctor with UK Athletics. He will be looking for another strong showing and lead the team to a good finishing position.

Kerry O’Flaherty

Club: Newcastle

Event: 3000m Steeplechase

Personal best: 9:42.61

Coach: Richard Rodgers

O’Flaherty has been a consistent performer on the track and has been part of Irish teams that have medalled at the European Cross Country Championships. This will be her Olympic debut having made her first bow at the world championships last year. 

Michelle Finn

Club: Leevale

Event: 3000mSC

Personal best: 9:43.19

Coach: Donie Walsh

Michelle Finn won the national title in impressive style with a front-running 9:46.81. The World Championships in Beijing were her major track debut having competed well on European Cross Country teams. She has just finished primary school teaching in UL.

Sara Treacy

Club: Dunboyne

Event: 3000m Steeplechase

Personal best: 9:39.41

Coach: Bud Baldaro

Sara Treacy has been based in Birmingham the past number of years qualifying as a doctor and practising while under the tutelage of top British coach Bud Baldaro. She also makes her Olympic debut.

Tori Pena

Club: Finn Valley

Event: Pole Vault

Personal best: 4.60m

Coach: Greg Hull

This will be Tori Pena’s second Olympic Games for Ireland where she will be looking to post a competitive performance. She has competed in every major championships for Ireland and the American based athlete will be eager to impress.

Fionnuala McCormack

Club: Kilcoole

Event: 10.000m/Marathon

Personal best: 31:29.22/2:31:46

Coach: self

This will be Fionnuala McCormack’s third Olympic Games. She made her Olympic debut in Beijing in the 3,000m steeplechase before going on to double in the 5,000m and 10,000m. She was an agonising fourth in the 10,000m at the European Championships in Amsterdam.

Lizzie Lee

Club: Leevale

Event: Marathon

Personal best: 2:32:51

Coach: Donie Walsh

Lizzie Lee has reached new levels of performance since giving birth to her daughter Lucy and recorded an excellent 2:32:51 in Berlin last September. She has been a lynchpin on Irish teams at the European Cross Country Championships. She works full-time with Apple.

Breege Connolly

Club: North Belfast Harriers

Event: Marathon

Personal best: 2:37:29

Coach: Martin Deane/Paul Elliot

The Leitrim woman has come a long way from running purely to make friends and will toe the line in Rio in the marathon by virtue of her excellent run in London in 2012. Connolly lives in Belfast and works as software tester in Newry.

Mark English

Club: UCD

Event: 800m

Personal Best: 1:44.84

Coach: Steve Magness

Mark English just missed out on the Olympics in London in 2012 as a junior but the Donegal man has gathered plenty of experience, and medals, since then. He won the bronze medal at the Europeans in Zurich in 2014 and won silver at the European Indoors in 2015.

Alex Wright

Club: Leevale

Event: 20km Race Walk/ 50km Race Walk

Personal Best: 1:21:56/3:48:31

Coach: Robert Heffernan

Alex Wright has been in excellent form this year recording personal bests over 20km and 50km to qualify for both distances in the Olympics. The Leevale athlete will focus on the 50km in Rio having focused internationally to date on the 20km.

Robert Heffernan

Club: Togher

Event: 50km Race Walk Walks 4:06:00 3:44:17 | 29 Aug 2015

Personal best: 3:37:54

Coach: Marian Heffernan

The 2013 World Champion goes into his fifth Olympic Games in Rio. He is set to receive a retrospective Olympic bronze medal from London but will be keen to show his best form in Rio. He has been of Ireland’s most consistent athletes in recent times.

Brendan Boyce

Club: Letterkenny

Event: 50km Race Walk

Personal best: 3:48:55

Coach: Robert Heffernan

Brendan Boyce has improved considerably since his 26th place finish at the London Olympics in 3:55:01. He finished 16th at the European Championships in Zurich in 2014 in 3:51:34 and will be aiming for a top 20 performance in Rio.

Ciara Everard

Club:  UCD

Event: 800m

Personal Best: 2:01.21

Coach: James Nolan

Ciara Everard is coached by two-time Olympian James Nolan who is also the head of athletics for Paralympics Ireland. The Kilkenny woman is a qualified physiotherapist and has been competing on the international stage for the last number of years. She will be keen to impress on her Olympic debut.

Irish Olympic Timetable

Day 1 Friday August 12

Rio time/Irish time 10:10/14:10 800m Round 1 Mark English (UCD)

11:10/15:10 10,000m W Final Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole)

14:30/18:30 20km Race Walk M Final Alex Wright (Leevale)

20:30 1500m W R1 Ciara Mageean (UCD)

 

Day 2 Saturday August 13

10:05/14:05 3000m SC W R1

Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle)

Michelle Finn (Leevale)

Sara Treacy (Dunboyne)

22:05/2:05am 800m M SF Mark English (UCD)

 

Day 3 Sunday August 14

09:30/13:30 Marathon W Final

Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole)

Lizzie Lee (Leevale)

Breege Connolly (North Belfast Harriers)

21:30/1:30am 1500m W SF Ciara Mageean (UCD)

 

Day 4 Monday August 15

11:15/15:15 3000m SC W F

Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle)

Michelle Finn (Leevale)

Sara Treacy (Dunboyne);

11:35/15:35 400m H M R1 Thomas Barr (Ferrybank)

22:25/2:25am 800m M Final Mark English (UCD)

 

Day 5 Tuesday August 16

09:45/13:45 Pole Vault W Q A+B

Tori Pena (Finn Valley)

21:35/1:35am 400m H M SF

Thomas Barr (Ferrybank)

22:30/2:30am 1500m W Final

Ciara Mageean (UCD)

 

Day 6 Wednesday August 17

10:55/14:55 800m W R1

Ciara Everard (UCD)

Day 7 Thursday August 18

12:00/16:00 400m H M Final

Thomas Barr (Ferrybank)

21:15/1:15am 800m W SF

Ciara Everard (UCD)

 

Day 8 Friday August 19

08:00/12:00pm 50km Race Walk M Final

Robert Heffernan (Togher)

Brendan Boyce (Letterkenny)

Alex Wright (Leevale)

20:30/12:30am Pole Vault W Final

Tori Pena (Finn Valley)

 

Day 9 Saturday August 20

21:15/1:15am 800m W Final

Ciara Everard

Day 10 August 21

09:30/13:30 Marathon M Final

Kevin Seaward (St Malachy’s)

Paul Pollock (Annadale Striders)

Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock)