World Athletics Tour Event Set for Dublin This Weekend

by Perri Williams

This Sunday (15 Dec) St Annes Park in Raheny will host not only the final Athletics Ireland national championships of 2024 but also the final stage of the World Athletics Race Walking Tour, where a stake in the total prize pot of $200,000 is at stake.
The action will kick off at 10.55am with the u9 races. This will follow with the main programme at 11am where over 100 internationals including two Olympic medallists will be amongst the 250 plus entrants to the days racing. The highlight of the day will be the 35km which will feature Paris Olympic silver medallist, Caio Bonfin (Brazil) who is within reach of the overall Tour prize of $25,000. A top three finish will ensure his victory. The Brazilian will face a challenge in the form of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 20km Race Walk Champion Massimo Stano from Italy. Massimo will be hoping to emulate his 2020 Olympic feats at the World Championships in Tokyo next September. 

Throughout the day spectators will witness high calibre races, featuring a large volumn of athletes’ that were medallists at Olympics, World, European, African, Asian or South American championships. Not to mention the prolific national record holders and national champions of their respective countries (30 countries and four continents in total will be represented). 

Do watch out for the u11 race,  one that leans itself to genetic disposition. The girls 500m includes Tara and Regan Heffernan, daughters of Rob and Marian Heffernan while the boy’s race will feature Tiarnach Costin son of three-time Irish Olympian Jamie Costin and his Slovakian International racewalker wife Zuzana Malíková.

35km Ladies
The 35km in particular is stacked with talent and championship silverware. Representing West Waterford is the 2011 World Youth Champion, Kate Veale. Veale has a best of 3.07.03 and will be hoping to get a good 35km time under her belt this side of Christmas. However, the fastest woman in the field is Magaly Bonilla (Ecuador). The national record holder has a personal best of 2.46.32. The 2.48.00 qualification standard for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo is well within her reach. The Ecuadorian has competed at major championships since she won her silver medal at the u20 Pan-American Games in 2011. Her last major championships over 35km was in 2022 where she finished 2nd in the Pan-American Games. Out to challenge Bonilla will be Federica Curiazzi (Italy) who has a best of 2.49.39. Curiazzi finished 4th in the 20km at the 2022 European Championships in Munich. Included in the field are some younger major championship medallists who will compete over 35km for the first time, all hoping for qualifying times for Tokyo. 

35km Men’s Massimo and Bonfim go Head-to-Head
The Irish contingent in the men’s 35km will be led by European Championship participant Oisin Lane (Mullingar). Joining him will be Joe Mooney (Adamstown). These two Irish Internationals will be aiming for the qualification standard for the 2025 European Athletics Race-Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czechia. They are up against a fast field that includes the 2024 Olympic Silver medallist Caio Bonfim (Brazil). Bonfim has a best of 2.25.14 which is faster than the 2:28.00 required for Tokyo. If all goes according to plan he could not only be the recipient of the $25,000 World Tour payout, but also the ticket to Tokyo. The fastest man in the field Massimo Stano (Italy) is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion. With a 35km best of 2.23.14 he also will be aiming to secure that World Championships qualifying time. Stano is a multi-major medal winner, aside from his Olympic gold, he won the World Championships in 2022, was 3rd in the World Cup in 2018 and 3rd in the 2023 European Cup. He was also 4th at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. One man who could surprise the Brazilian and Italian is Ricardo ORTIZ (Mexico). The 29-year-old has been improving his times and will be looking to knock just two minutes from his previous best. He has walked some fast 20km races this year, indicating he is gaining form. With national champions from France, Greece, Mexico, Brazil, India, Germany, Italy and the Ukraine, this race could see the course record of 2.31.54 set by the Rob Heffernan coached Perseus Karlström (Sweden) under threat.
 

20km Race – Ethiopia v Kenya
The 20km gets underway at noon. Both the ladies and the men’s races feature high ranking world athletes. The men’s 20km will see a return to competition by David Kenny (Farranfore /Maine), the former European u23 silver medallist. Overcoming injuries that saw him sit out 2024, and now coached by three times Olympian Jamie Costin we can expect to see the Kerryman to make an impact. His PB of 1.19.44 is the third fastest in the field. He will be accompanied by Matthew Glennon (Mullingar). Both men will be aiming to qualify for the 2025 European Cup. The main protagonists in the 20km will be 20-year-old Misgana Wakuma (Ethiopia) who finished 6th in the Olympic Games in Paris and 37-year-old Samuel Gathimba (Kenya). Wakuma has had a phenomenal year. He won both the African Games and the African Championships. In May he finished 10th in the World Cup, subsequently improving to finish 6th in the Olympic Games. Gathimba may be 17 years the senior, but he does hold the African record at 1.18.23. He was 4th in the 2022 World Championships and third in the World Cup the same year. The 2022 African champion was second to Wakuma in this years African Games. Rumoured to be in excellent form he will go head-to-head with the Ethiopian where we expect both athletes to surpass the 1.19.00 World Championships qualifying time. This race features several athletes in the low 1.20s including the including former World U20 Champion Callum Wilkinson who is coached by Olympic medallist Rob Heffernan. Also featured in this race is Carlos Mercenario (Mexico) son of the 1992 Olympic silver medallist of the same name. Athletes from Ireland, Great Britain, Algeria, Morocco, Greece, Finland. Czechia, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and USA compete in this multi-national competition. The ladies’ event will feature athletes from Algeria, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Portugal. The aim here will be to surpass the 1.28.00 required to qualify for the 2025 World Championships. Athletes from Europe will of course be seeking the European Cup (Team) qualification standards.

10km – Irish Debuts and Qualifications
Three Irish athletes will contest for the Irish title; Ciara Wilson (DSD), Savannagh O’Callaghan (Tuam) and Aisling Lane (Mullingar). Both Lane and O’Callaghan have experience of major championships. Lane competed in the 2022 European u18 Championships O’Callaghan was a participant in this years u18 Championships. While Lane has a best of 52.43 from 2023, this will be O’Callaghan’s debut 10km. Meanwhile Wilson who has been steadily improving could produce a surprise result. Other Irish athletes to look out for are; Aoife Tuthill (Bandon) sister of Olympic hammer thrower Nicola, Siobhan O’Reilly (Moy Valley) Sinead Maher (South Galway), and Beabhin Hosty (Loch Lurgan A.C.) Many of whom will debut over the 10km distance. These girls will be up against the European u18 silver medallist Alessia Pop (Romania) who has a personal best of 45.52. The African u18 champion Latifa Aarabi (Morocco) will be making her 10km debut and will be keen to match Pop’s performance. UK senior champion Gracie Griffith has a best of 50.46 and will be hoping to dip under the 50 min barrier. 
Ireland has a strong representation in the u20 men’s 10km. European u18 silver medallist Seamus Clarke (Moy Valley) with a best of 44.45 will be chased by Andrew Glennon (Mullingar) whose 45.50 will surely drop further. Opposition could come in the form of u18 European 7th place finisher Matthew Newell (Tuam) who is making his 10km debut. There will be a big effort by all three to overcome 17-year-old Ghazrani Ayoub (Morocco) who has a best of 43.35. The course record of 43.58 held by Matthew Glennon (Mullingar) could be under threat.

Juvenile Races
Since the establishment of the Robert Heffernan Race Walking Academy the number of juveniles competing in race-walking events has soared. So much so that the 2024 u20 indoors had numbers higher than some of the middle-distance events. Both the quantity and quality of that event will be replicated in Raheny on Sunday where over 30 athletes will contest the u16 and 18 races. In the u18s look out for are the ever-improving Robin og Murphy (Longford) and Aoife Martin (Carraig-Na-Bhfear A.C.). Both are priming for the 2025 European Youth Olympics qualification. They will face strong opposition from Julia Lebeau the French u18 champion who has a best of 24.38 for 5km. Deea Ioanovici (Romania) will contest the best of the Irish u16s over 5km which include Robyn Maher, Anna Millins and Pearl Sands. Amy Walsh (St Josephs) will make her debut over 5km. The 14-year-old was an impressive winner of the Andalusian Championships earlier this year.

The u16 3km field has a strong international flare with athletes from the USA, Britain, Lativa and Romania. The Irish challenge should come from Cliodhna Ni Chonaill (Castlegar). Expect to see some improvements from Gareth Glennon (Mullingar) as the 13-year-old makes his 3km debut.

Double All Ireland champion Cuisle O’Callaghan (Tuam) is one of five Tuam athletes who are part of this large field that includes internationals from Britain, Lativa and Romania. The Irish athletes should make an impression in this race, where some interesting results could evolve. 

Masters
The Masters race is set for a legal head-to-head as former Irish senator Brian O’Domhnaill (Killybegs) will compete against leading San Francisco prosecutor Paul de Meester (USA). The oldest man in the field will be Bobby King (St Coca’s). The over 70 athlete and international racewalker has decades of walking in his veins. This race features a host of global athletes from countries such as France, Sweden, USA and Latvia. Irish interest in the ladies will lie with Maggie O’Connor (St Josephs) and Sinead McConnell (Finn Valley) – both European and World Masters medallists.