A 25-strong Irish team begins competition at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Rieti today, with several of the country’s most promising young athletes carrying realistic ambitions of reaching finals and challenging for medals.

The championships run from today until Sunday and represent an important bridge between Ireland’s juvenile club structure and senior international athletics.  Streaming coverage is listed in our Sport for Business Daily TV and Streaming Coverage here.

For many members of the team, Rieti will provide a first experience of a major international championship, introducing them to qualification rounds, call rooms, championship schedules and competition against the best athletes of their age in Europe.

Lucie Cawley of Sligo AC will be among the first Irish athletes in action in the 2,000 metres steeplechase.

Cawley competed at last year’s European Youth Olympic Festival and arrives in Italy with the third-fastest time in the field. Her 6:41.13 performance is also the Irish U18 record. She will be joined in the event by Tullamore Harriers athlete Ally Duffy.

Emer Purtill of Dooneen AC begins the seven-event heptathlon today. Her personal best of 5,206 points was recorded earlier this year, with her involvement also reflecting the growing influence of Olympic silver medallist Kate O’Connor on the visibility of combined events in Ireland.

Tara Laverty of Carrick Aces AC will contest the discus qualification during the opening evening session. The Irish U18 record-holder has thrown beyond 46 metres on five occasions this year and holds a personal best of 48.74 metres.

Ireland will also have three athletes competing over 400 metres today. Ethan Carr of Ballymena and Antrim AC goes in the boys’ event, with Evelyn Kwik of Dundrum South Dublin AC and Aisling Shevlin of Ratoath AC contesting the girls’ heats.

The depth of the team will become increasingly apparent as the championships progress.

Isabelle Gaffney of West Waterford AC enters the girls’ 800 metres ranked seventh after recording a personal best of 2:06.10 in Belfast in May. She will be joined by Finn Valley’s Tara-Rose Smith, who is also ranked inside the European top ten.

Ava Colreavy of Sligo AC and Westport AC’s Freya Renton will contest Sunday’s 3,000 metres final. Colreavy’s 9:28.60 is the fifth-fastest time on the entry list, with Renton also ranked in the top ten.

Ireland’s field-event representation is completed by Farranfore Maine Valley AC’s Kevin O’Shea, who has thrown 64.47 metres in the javelin this season.

The team also includes sprinters Tiffany Nwaedozie and Christopher Olatunde, middle-distance athletes Emma Hickey, Charlie O’Neill and Luke Merrigan, racewalkers Leah O’Gara and Daniel Glennon, and three 400-metre hurdlers in Daniel Downey, Arron Whelan and Elle-Kate McRae.

Both the girls’ and boys’ medley relay teams will compete on Sunday.

Athletics Ireland Performance Pathway Manager Jacqui Freyne described the championships as an important development opportunity.

“The European Athletics U18 Championships are an important step on the performance pathway,” she said.

“For many of our athletes, it’s a first taste of major international competition—a chance to learn and to challenge themselves against the best in Europe.

“I wish to congratulate all the athletes and their personal coaches on their selection. I am really looking forward to seeing this talented group embrace the opportunity.”

Ireland travels to Rieti with encouraging recent history in the competition.

The country enjoyed its most successful European U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica two years ago, winning a record five medals, including gold for Thomas Williams in the boys’ hammer.

Previous Irish medallists at this level include Rhasidat Adeleke, Sarah Healy, Sophie O’Sullivan, Gina Akpe-Moses and Molly Scott. Their subsequent careers demonstrate the role the championships can play in the journey towards senior international competition.

The commercial support surrounding the domestic pathway is also important.

123.ie, Athletics Ireland’s principal commercial partner, has extended its partnership with the governing body through to the end of 2030 in a multi-year, six-figure agreement. Its support stretches from national juvenile, schools and senior championships through to the promotion of Ireland’s leading international athletes.

Several members of the Rieti team have progressed through 123.ie-backed domestic competitions. Gaffney, for example, won the U17 800 metres at the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships shortly before travelling to Italy.

Athletics Ireland and 123.ie are both full members of Sport for Business.

That shared commitment illustrates how a long-term commercial partnership can support the entire athletics pathway rather than focusing exclusively on established senior stars. The athletes competing in Rieti have been developed through local clubs, schools, competitions, national championships and the work of personal and volunteer coaches.

The size and range of the Irish team demonstrate the breadth of that system. Ireland is represented across sprints, middle-distance running, hurdles, racewalking, throwing, combined events and relays.

Medals and final appearances will provide the immediate measure of success this week. The more important long-term test will be how many members of this team remain in the sport and progress through U20 and U23 competition towards senior international teams.

Rieti is not the endpoint for this group. It is an important first step onto the European stage.

 

 

 

Athletics Ireland and 123.ie are full members of Sport for Business.

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