2024 – THE YEAR THAT THAT SAW 78 NATIONAL RECORDS BEING SMASHED

by Perri Williams

From u18 to Senior level 2024 has seen the landscape for national records change a staggering 78 times at the hands of 30 individuals and 8 relay teams. A solid testament to the elevated performances of our athletes, in what has generally been a magnificent year for Irish athletics.
 

Rhasidat Adeleke – six individual and six relay records in 2024
The first records of the year tumbled on January 20th in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) lowered both the 60m and 200m national senior indoor marks to 7.15 and 22.49 respectively. A month later at the Millrose Games (New York) Adeleke took down the 300m national record to 36.42. Furthermore, with Adeleke being an u23 athlete, she also by default lowered the u23 national record to the same times. With six national records already under her belt by the end of the indoor season the 2024 European silver medallist bagged a further four during the outdoors. These came in the form of the 100m at the national track and field championships in Santry and her 49.07 which resulted in her silver European 400m medal. Adeleke broke ten Irish National Records in 2024, but she does currently hold a total of 21 national records (11 indoor and 10 outdoors) from five event distances across four age categories (senior, u23, u20 and u18), making her the most prolific Irish record holder.
The Tallaght AC athlete was also a member of six of the seven 4x400m relay teams that went on a record-breaking rampage starting with the World Indoors in Glasgow in March and cumulating at the Olympic Games in August. In March it was the team of Phil Healy, Sophie Becker, Roisin Harrison and Sharlene Mawdsley that lowered the indoor record to 3:28.45. The Outdoor 4x400m team of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley set three new national records, eventually settling on 3:19.9 at the Olympic Games in August. It was a similar story with the mixed 4x400m, where the relay record was lowered three times, 3:09.92 being the current time.

Ciara Mageean takes down the senior 800m
Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn) may have had to cope with the disappointment of missing the Olympic Games. However, her year did not go without its triumphs. In addition to her European 1,500m gold she reclaimed her 800m record at Manchester in May to 1:58.51. Mageean now holds a total of eight Irish records (2 indoors and 6 outdoors) in distances that range from 800m to one mile across the three age categories; Senior, u20 and u18.

Thomas Williams smashing all standards around him
Throughout the summer one young man has caught my attention for his ubiquitous record-breaking feats in the hammer – Thomas Williams. The Shercock AC athlete seemed to be creating new standards all summer, from Schools to Juvenile (u17) and then the u18 age category, no competition it seems was without his figure altering performance. And it was not just in Ireland either, he was setting new standards in Wales, England and Scotland – leaving a train of shattered standards in his wake. In terms of u18 records he managed to obliterate the existing national hammer record for the first time in March of this year before settling on 73.95 while winning the u18 European Championships. During each competition, he managed to surpass the old levels multiple times. The u18 World and European number 1 left a global impact during 2024.
Enya Silkena (Ratoath) similar to Williams has left a trail of shattered javelin standards in her way; schools, juvenile and u18. Her u/18 mark of 51.42m established her within the top 10 on the European ranking list.
 

Mark English still making new marks a decade later
Mark English has been hitting the Irish athletics headlines for over a decade. The Finn Valley AC athlete has his share of European podium success and his share of record-breaking performances. Many thought he was at his peak and his days of creating new waves for 800m running were over. Not so. In June of this year he broke his own Irish record twice within three days, before finally stabilizing it at 1:44.53. In February of this year he set a new indoor 600m mark of 1.16.64 at the World Athletics Indoor Tour in Boston. He currently holds six Irish records ranging from 500m to 800m.
 

The enigma that is Nicholas Griggs
No report written on setting new records should be written without mentioning Nick Griggs. The Ulster man achieved a new national standard on six occasions during 2024. The first performance was in Metz on February 3rd where he finished 6th in a senior indoor 3,000m with a new u23 3,000m national indoor record. The following month he recorded a new 5km road record at the podium festival in Leicester, England. In July Griggs had a phenomenal month breaking his own records over 1,500m, 3,000m (twice) and 5,000m. His new standards of 3:35.04, 7:36.59 and 13:13.07 established him firmly on the European racing circuit. As an u18 he exploded onto the scene waking the world to his talents at that 2020 European Junior Championships, where he won the 3,000m. Griggs currently holds the outdoor u18, u20 and u23 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m records along with the u20 one mile. The u23 outdoor one mile record set back in 1896 by Gerry O’Rielly is surely within his reach. Indoors he has the u20 1,500m, one mile and 3,000m along with the u23 3,000m. The big one for the taking here is the 1977 u23 one-mile indoor record set by Niall O'Shaughnessy of 3.55.4. Can he wipe the oldest running records from the u23 record books? In total the young Candour Track Club man has a staggering fourteen Irish records – the most prolific male record holder currently in Ireland.
 

Nichola Tuthill, putting the hammer on the map
Nichola Tuthill (Bandon AC) has been writing herself into the record books in every way this summer. She became the first Irish woman since Eileen O’Keefe’s heroic hammer throwing exploits almost two decades ago to throw over 70m in the ladies hammer. Not only that she was just the second Irish lady to qualify for the Olympic Games hammer and the youngest ever. At the European Championships in Rome – an event she qualified for after breaking the Irish u23 hammer record three times from March to May – settling the marker at 70.32 in Slovakia on May 24th. This is Tuthill’s only Irish record with the u18 and u20 being held by Michaela Walsh (Swinford) and the senior one by Eileen O’Keeffe (KCH). 
Another thrower to set standards this year was Oisin Joyce (Lake District AC). Joyce set the second of his 2024 record javelin throws during his bronze medal winning feat at the World u20 Championships in Peru. 

The Multi-events in Bandon rising Irish standards.
And spare a thought for the multi-eventers. These athletes regularly set new personal bests as they compete gruelling two-day competitions; the girls enduring seven events and the men ten. Diarmuid O’Connor (Bandon) set the u23 decathlon mark at 7,610 points at the Big East Championships in Villanova back in May of this year. Just recently (and still to be ratified) he smashed the u23 national indoor record at the UCONN husky indoor challenge. His club mate Eoin O’Callaghan also set new standards in the u20 boys both indoors and outdoors. 
 

The rise of racewalking and the lowering of records
Seamus Clarke (Moy Valley) was having his own spree in the world of race-walking. Clarke who finished second in the u18 European Championships this summer set five national records this year. At the national seniors he lowered the u18 5,000m mark to 23:31.38. During a period of six weeks in March/April he lowered the 10km road mark three times before settling it at 44:45 at the World Athletics Team Championships in Turkey. Finally, just when it counts, he established a new mark for the 5,000m track walk with his second place in the European u18 Championships in Slovakia. At the end of 2024 Clarke holds three Irish records.
 

Olatundu drops a record as he leaves for Florida
Ireland’s fastest man Israel Olatunde laid down a new marker for the Senior men’s 100m in August – his final flag before he set sail to the US working under the tutelage of Lance Brauman in Florida. His time of 10.12 set at the NEB meet in London becomes a new u23 record.

Then there are more
These are just a handful of the new standards that were set across multiple age groups this year. Anika Thompson, Andrew Coscoran, Eric Favours, other club and national Relay Teams, Sarah Healy, Roisin Flanagan, Margaret Hayden, Phil Healy, Reece Ademola (yes you will get over that 8m barrier), David Davitt, Conor Kelly, Michael Kent, Clodagh Gill, Elizabeth Ndudi, Joe Burke, Noah Harris, Cian Campton, Sorcha Loughnane, Hiko Tonosa – you are all simply amazing and we look forward to your numerous additional feats for 2025.