World Indoors: No standout medal hopes but Irish runners travel with form

Presence of both a men’s and women’s relay team will always pique the interest levels

Phil Healy runs both in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Fri Mar 18 2022 - 10:33

There may not be any standout medal contenders among the Irish team at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade this weekend, although that doesn’t mean they’ve travelled without a chance.

The presence of both a men’s and women’s relay team will always increase interest. In all, 18 Irish athletes have made the journey to the Serbian capital - nine men, nine women - the championships set for the Stark Arena beginning on Friday morning; several individuals will be eying a final at least, and should either of the relay quartets get that far the proverbial anything is possible.

Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers AC) was withdrawn from the 4x400 metre relay on medical grounds. Ireland hasn’t won a medal at this global level since Derval O’Rourke struck gold in the 60m hurdles in Moscow in 2006, only those present two years earlier for the 2004 championships in Budapest can fondly recall the most eventful race of the weekend, where the Irish men’s 4x400m relay team snatched the bronze medal.

Luke McCann is among the 1500m hopes after his convincing national title win. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

In Belgrade, the men’s quartet will come from Irish champion Cillin Greene, Cathal Crosbie, Chris O’Donnell, Brian Gregan and Mark English, who will also run his individual event the 800m.

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With both Phil Healy and Sophie Becker already setting indoor bests this season, the women’s quartet has perhaps the greater potential of making the final. Sharlene Mawdsley, Roisin Harrison and Catherine McManus complete that selection.

Among the middle distance hopes is Luke McCann. Last month, he won his first Irish senior title in utterly convincing style - his gun-to-tape victory at the Sport Ireland Indoor Arena coming in 3:45.14.

Earlier in the month in New York he improved his mile best to 3:53.87, moving him to seventh on the Irish all-time list, before running 2:17.40 over 1,000m - the fastest ever time by any Irish runner, indoors or out.

Last summer McCann also clocked 3:36.81 for 1,500m in Montreuil, France, and along with Andrew Coscoran, the Olympic semi-finalist in Tokyo, he will lead the Irish charge in the event in Belgrade.

Coached by his father Clark, a champion swimmer and lifesaver in his prime, McCann is adamant he’s not going to make up the numbers. This time last year, at the European Indoors in Torun, Poland, McCann found himself in the same heat as Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ended up winning the 1,500m/5,000m double, and afterwards saw the chance to bounce some thoughts off the young Norwegian, two years his junior.

“I think it’s a mindset thing. After that heat with Jakob, in the call room, he was sitting a metre opposite from me, and I thought when will I next get the chance for just me and him to have a chat?

“So I sparked up a bit of conversation, asked him how he made it look so easy? And just looked at me and said ‘because it is easy’. That’s the way I have to go into certain competitions, just don’t show any respect, you’ve qualified for these championships just like they have, and you have to believe you have that spot just as much as they do.

“There’s no point in going over if you not thinking you can make the final. I just came third in a world-class meeting in America, why can’t I come third in a world-class final over in Belgrade. I wouldn’t be in this sport if I wasn’t here to complete, no one should really.”

Darragh McElhinney has travelled in excellent form, fresh from racing inside the Stark Arena last month at the World Indoor Tour, where he ran an Irish Under-23 1,500m record of 3:39.63 in finishing third.

McElhinney will run the 3,000m in Belgrade, with three 1,500m representatives in Andrew Coscoran, McCann and Sarah Healy - all of whom are in form to make the final. The 21-year-old Healy also set a new Under-23 record last month with her 4:06.95, the second fastest ever by an Irish woman after Ciara Mageean.