Irish Racewalkers dominate the English National Indoors

by Perri Williams

The indoor season has really taken off. It is only the third week in January and already several domestic indoor competitions have been held. This weekend marks a shift to the migration of athletes towards competitions abroad, where overall there has been some positive performances. More about those in a later post. One group of athletes that produced outstanding results today were the Irish racewalkers.

Competing in the English Indoor Championships in Sheffield, twenty-eight Irish racewalkers contested various age groups and overall were the dominant force in racewalking on the day. There were five gold, seven silver and two bronze medals won by the respective athletes, a total of 14 medals, along with a multitude of personal bests. Their accumulation of medals amounted to almost half the total haul available for the resepective racewalking competitions. Giving us an insight to the caliber of Irish racewalkers that we currently have in this country. 

Robin og Murphy (Longford AC) took gold in the U20 3000m in a time of 14.38.61. There was an Irish double as moments later Luke Fitzmaurice (North Leitrim) secured the men’s u20 in 14.25.65. Leah O’Gara (Finn Valley) who has made impressive improvements since last summer won the u17 3,000m in 16.10.46. Two further gold medals came in the form of Cuisle O’Callaghan (Tuam) and Ava Dinkin (Clare River Harriers). Both their victories came coupled with personal bests. For O’Callaghan her u15 victory for the 1,000m race secured her a handsome 4.40.55, an eight second personal best. For Dinkin, she recorded 5.30.54 as she crossed the line in first place in the u13, 1,000m race.

For some of the athletes their personal bests were significant, Tailte O’Callaghan may have secured a silver medal in the girls u15 but her 16.13.95 was over a minute faster than her previous best, setting the Tuam AC athlete up nicely for the indoor season ahead of her. Ciara Gilmore (Tuam) was another athlete who secured a gigantic personal best despite being outside of the medals.
For many of the athletes that made the journey to Sheffield today, it was their first time competing abroad and being judged by all non-Irish judges which can be daunting, especially for the younger members. Under the guidance of Pierce O’Callaghan and other coaches the athletes will have gained significant experience from today’s races. In 2024 the numbers in the Irish racewalking competitions often surpassed those of some of the middle-distance races. From today’s experience we can expected equally high numbers for the looming championship season. Roll on 2025.

Results
Girls: Senior 3000m: 2 Ciara Wilson Bowan (Dundrum South Dublin) 14.42.46
U20 3000m: 1 Robin og Murphy (Longford) 14.38.61 2 Savanagh O’Callaghan (Tuam) 15.00.05 3 Holly Shaughnessy (Tuam) 16.24.29
U17 3000m: 1 Leah O’Gara (Finn Valley) 16.10.46 2 Taillte O’Callaghan (Tuam) 16.13.95 PB
U15 1000m: 1 Cuisle O’Callaghan (Tuam) 4.40.55 PB 2 Hazel Dinkin (Clare River Harriers) 5.11.94 3 Molly Murphy (Longford) 5.24.26
U13 1000m: 1 Ava Dinkin (Clare River Harriers) 5.30.54 PB 2 Mia O’Toole (Galway City Harriers) 5.47.58 PB

Boys: u20 3000m: 1 Luke Fitzmaurice (North Leitrim) 14.28.65 
U15 1000m: 2 Sean McNulty (Metro St Brigids) 5.40.10
U13 1000m: Owen Gannon (Athenry) 5.29.31 PB