Adeleke set for Pro Debut at Szekesfehervar tonight

Rhasidat Adeleke makes her professional debut as a Nike athlete this evening (Tuesday 18 July) over 200m at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. Leading the entry is Jamaican athlete Shericka Jackson who has a best time of 21.45 secs. Adeleleke’s best 200m time is 22.34. 

On Friday,  Adeleke will race over 400m at the Monaco Diamond League meet, where she will take on a field of seven athletes. Leading the entry is the Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA, who ran a lifetime best 48.74 secs in Eugene, Oregon a fortnight ago and has her sights set on Marita Koch’s 1985 world record of 47.60 secs.

Also running is Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek who won the 400m in  49.40 at the Silesia Diamond League in Chrozów last weekend.  In the same race, Dutch sprinter Lieke Klaver was second in  49.81 and she will also line out in Monaco. Adeleke’s Irish record stands at 49.20.

Ciara Mageean goes in the women’s mile, where she’s up against two Americans and an Australian who all went under 4 mins 19 secs at the Bislett Games in Oslo last month. USA’s Cory Ann McGee was second in 4:18.11, Australia’s Jessica Hull third in 4:18.24 and USA’s  Nikki Hiltz  fourth in 4:18.38. In the same race, Mageeanwas eleventh in 4:22.03.

Add to the mix the Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, double world and Olympic champion, who ran 4:16.17 for the mile as far back as 2015. In June, she clocked 3:49.11 for 1500m at the Rome/Florence Diamond League; Mageean was fourth in 4:00.95.

Ethiopian Habitam Alemue has a 1:58.59 time to her credit this season, while Freweyni Hailauran  won the 3000m in 8:26.61 at  the Silesia Diamond League in Chrozów last weekend. Scotland’s Laura Muir, who ran 4:18.03 in 2017, will also line out.

Newly-crowned European U23 1500m champion Sophie O’Sullivan is entered for the women’s 3000m at Wednesday’s British Milers Meet at the Mary Peters Track, Belfast (July 19).  Also listed are Aoife Ó Cuill of St Coca’s AC, Annadale Striders’ Hannah Gilliland, Roise Roberts of North Belfast Harriers and Jodie McCann of Dublin City Harriers.  The race takes place at 8.20pm.

Eoin Everard of Kilkenny City Harriers, who switches from track to road effortlessly, is among those entered for the men’s A 3000m.

In the men’s A 800m, Cathal Doyle of Clonliffe Harriers, fresh from his mile PB of 3:56.05 at the Morton Games,  is listed to run along with Cillian Kirwan of Raheny Shamrock, Roland Surlis of Annalee AC  and Leevale’s Charlie O’Donovan. Lynsey Sharp of Edinburgh AC and Jenna Brommell of Emerald AC are among entered in the women’s A race. Sharp, the 2012 European 800m champion and a double Olympian, is on the comeback trail after becoming a mother, while Brommell ran 2:01.80 at the IMC meet in Belfast last May,

Finley Daly of Sligo AC , better known as a steeplechaser, goes in the men’s A 1500m, along with Neil Johnston of Annadale Striders, who has run  8:02.06 for 3000m this season, and Conall Kirk of the newly-formed Belfast Candour club.  A good mixture of juniors, masters and seniors go in the women’s A race.

Schedule and entry list at www.britishmilersclub.com

Meanwhile at the  Tallaght track, the second last Dublin Graded Meet of the season  takes place, also  on Wednesday (July 16). On offer are 200m and 1500m races as well as long jump, high jump and discus. See https://www.dublinathletics.com/live-results for live results on the day

Andrew Coscoran is among the entries for the 1500m at the Diamond League London Anniversary Games on Sunday (July 23).

Coscoran will take on a stacked field led by Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya  who has a season’s best of 3:29.008. Coscoran improved his own Irish record to 3:30.42 at last weekend’s Silesia Diamond League.  Other sub-3 mins 30 secs athletes lining out include Spain’s Mario García, France’s Azeddine Habz,  Oliver Hoare from Australia, Narve Gilje Nordås from Norway  and Yered Nuguse of the USA.

Michelle Finn is scheduled to run in the women’s steeplechase, aiming to get closer to her PB of 9:29.25, set in 2021. Finn will be going for her sixth consecutive national title and her ninth overall at the Irish Championships in Santry on July 29/30.

Leading the entry is the 2019 world champion  and world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech from Kenya, whose world record of 8:44.32 was set 2018. Chepkoech has run 9:05.98 so far this season.

Big road race of the weekend is  Sunday’s Irish 10-Mile in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, which incorporates the National Championships.