Athletics Ireland has selected a four-athlete team to represent Ireland at the World Cross Country Championships, taking place in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 10th, 2026, reflecting a strategic balance between performance ambition and long-term athlete planning.
The squad is led by Brian Fay and Fiona Everard, both of whom finished tenth individually at the recent European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal. Their form underlines Ireland’s continued competitiveness on the global endurance stage.
Fay, an Olympic 5,000m athlete, has enjoyed a standout cross-country season, winning the national senior title before playing a key role on the Irish men’s team that claimed a historic European silver medal, the first at senior men’s level in 25 years. Tallahassee will mark his World Cross Country debut.
Everard returns to the world stage following a breakthrough period that included victory at the 123.ie National Senior Cross Country Championships and a top-ten finish in Europe, a significant improvement on her previous World Cross Country appearance in 2024.
The remaining places go to Niamh Allen, a proven European performer, and Noah Harris, who impressed with a tenth-place finish in the U20 race in Lagoa. Harris, who studies at the University of Tennessee, will gain valuable experience at a senior global level.
Explaining the selection, Mark Kenneally, Athletics Ireland Performance Endurance Lead, said the athletes had clearly targeted the championships and arrived in strong form, despite calendar challenges impacting wider availability.
Sport for Business Perspective
The selection highlights a data-led, athlete-centred performance model that balances immediate competitiveness with sustainable progression across the endurance pathway.
Image Credit: Athletics Ireland
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Athletics
SPORT FOR BUSINESS Upcoming Events
MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTS,
Sky Ireland and Golf Ireland, as well as all the leading sporting and business organisations in and around the world of sport, are among the 300+ members of the Sport for Business community.
This includes all of the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, individuals interested in our world, and an increasing number from beyond these shores taking a keen interest in Ireland.
Find out more about becoming a member today.
Or sign up for our twice-daily bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover.
Sign up for our News Bulletins here.
