The Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially named a 35-strong athlete delegation to compete at this month’s Summer European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Running from July 20th to 27th, the EYOF is Europe’s largest multi-sport event for athletes aged 14 to 17 and serves as a high-performance launchpad for future Olympic hopefuls.
Among previous Irish athletes who have transitioned from EYOF to the Olympic stage are household names like Rhasidat Adeleke, Sarah Lavin, Sarah Healy and Lara Gillespie.
This year’s edition will host over 4,000 athletes from 48 European nations, with Team Ireland competing across eight sports, including the debut of Basketball 3×3, Table Tennis and Taekwondo.
Speaking at the team announcement, Chef de Mission Gavin Noble underlined the importance of the EYOF in the wider Olympic system.
“The EYOF is a key milestone on the Olympic pathway, a chance for athletes to gain invaluable experience in a high-performance, multi-sport environment. This is a competitive and ambitious Team Ireland group, and while many are making their debut, they’re ready to step up.”
In preparation for the Games, athletes gathered at a special Team Ireland event earlier this week, where they received their official kit and words of encouragement from Olympian Ellen Walshe.
A silver medallist at EYOF Tbilisi 2015, Walshe reflected on how the experience shaped her journey to Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
“The EYOF is the closest thing to the Olympic Games,” she told the group. “It teaches you how to compete on a big stage, how to live in an athletes’ village, and how to focus when everything around you is new and exciting.”
Daily updates and live streams will be available via EOCTV.org and Team Ireland’s digital platforms throughout the week of competition.
As the next generation prepares to compete for Team Ireland on a continental stage, they do so with the support of a robust system and a growing high-performance culture.
One that is underpinned by Allianz, the primary commercial partner of Team Ireland, whose continued investment in Olympic and youth sport is helping shape Ireland’s sporting future.
Team Ireland Athletes (full details below)
Athletics
Lucie Cawley (Sligo) W 2000SC
Erin Friel (Donegal) W 400, W Medley Relay (pictured above)
Emma Hickey (Wexford) W 3000
Destiny Lawal (Limerick) W 100, W Medley Relay
Ellis McHugh (Waterford) W 400 H, W Medley Relay
Molly Daly (Kilkenny) W 200, W Medley Relay
Joe Burke (Tipperary), M 200
Lorcán Forde Dunne (Drogheda) M 1500
Matthew Newell (Galway), M 5km Race Walk
Conor Penney (Galway), M High Jump
Ben Sykes (Belfast) M 100
Isaac Vickers (Kerry), M 800
Thomas Williams (Cavan) M Hammer Throw
Jacqui Freyne – Team Leader
Niamh Fitzgerald – Coach
Dermot McGranaghan – Coach
Badminton
Hannah Shochan (Dublin) Girl’s Singles, Mixed Doubles
Luke Marks (Roscrea), Boy’s Singles, Mixed Doubles
Michael O’Meara – Team Leader
Basketball 3×3
Aoibheann Donnelly (Belfast) Girls 3×3
Helena Keane (Dublin), Girls 3×3
Faye McDonnell (Kilkenny), Girls 3×3
Muireann Teahan (Kerry), Girls 3×3
Niamh Dwyer – Team Leader
Cycling
Aoife Craig (Antrim) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)
Emer Heverin (Belfast) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)
Katie Turner (Dublin) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)
Tom Lane (Kanturk) Road Race, Time-Trial (M)
Rían McCrystal (Dundalk) Road Race, Time-Trial (M)
Caleb McGreevy (Armagh) Road Race, Time-Trial, Mountain Bike (M)
Michael Black – Team Leader
Eve McCrystal – Coach
Lindsay Gamble – Mechanic
Thomas Fallon – Physio
Gymnastics
Estella Volkoff (Carlingford) Girl’s Artistic Gymnastics
Roisin Hickey (Dublin) Girl’s Artistic Gymnastics
Chester Enríquez (Newtownabbey) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics
Finlay Hazleton (Craigavon) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics
Robert Ward (Dublin) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics
Jonathan Stevenson – Team Leader
Conor McGovern – Coach
Nicole Cassidy – Coach
Sergey Sizhanov – Coach
Swimming
Julia Dziedzic (Swords) W 200m Backstroke, W 200 Freestyle, W 200 IM, W 400 IM, W 400 Freestyle
Anna Joyce (Ratoath) W 100 Breaststroke, W 200 Breaststroke
Shea Mathers (Newry) W 100 Butterfly, M 200 Butterfly
Jade Murphy – Team Leader
Table Tennis
Peadar Sheridan (Belfast) Boy’s Singles
Connor Higgins – Team Leader
Taekwondo
Charleigh Lee Smithers (Dublin) Girl’s 63+
John Kelly – Team Leader
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