Sligo duo named among Team Ireland’s Olympic athletics panel
THE Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected the athletics team who are set to compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer - with Sligo natives Lauren Cadden and Chris O’Donnell named among them.
Cadden and O’Donnell bring to four the number of Sligo natives representing Team Ireland this summer - they join swimmer Mona McSharry and boxer Dean Clancy who both qualified last summer.
Team Ireland will be represented by 23 athletes at the Games, with the track and field events taking place in the Stade de France, and the marathon events running through the streets of Paris starting at the Hotel de Ville and finishing at the Esplanade des Invalides.
The officially selected number of athletes competing for Team Ireland has now reached 122, which has now passed the previously largest team ever (116 in Tokyo 2020).
The athletics team are travelling to Paris on a high, following on from the phenomenal performances of the Athletics Ireland team at the European Championships last month.
Marathon runner Fionnuala McCormack will be making history by becoming the first Irish woman to compete in five Olympic Games, when she competes on the roads of Paris on the 11 August. The marathon route takes in some of the famous Parisian landmarks, including the Chateau de Versailles, the Grand Palais and the Hotel de Ville.
The track and field events take place in the Stade de France, which transforms from the Rugby Sevens events earlier in the Games to a bespoke athletics stadium, with a purple track.
400m runner and relay racer Sharlene Mawdsley will be competing in her first Olympics. She said: “This is a dream come true, I can’t wait to go out to Paris and represent my country on the biggest stage of all.”
Tokyo Olympian and 1500m athlete, Andrew Coscoran, is heading into his second Olympic Games and he said: “I am honoured and excited to be selected to represent Ireland at my second Olympic Games. I will line up at the Stade de France and do everything in my power to get the most out of myself. This Olympics will be particularly special, being so close to home. I'm looking forward to competing with friends and family cheering from the crowd.”
Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Gavin Noble said: “The athletics events are always some of the most anticipated ones, and this year won’t disappoint.
“We are excited to select a really strong team, many of whom are coming to the Games as ones to watch.
“The Stade de France will be buzzing during August, with the track and field events.
“We are also pleased to see that this announcement sees the official number of selected Team Ireland athletes surpass our previously biggest team – and we still have a few more announcements to come.”
Paul McNamara, Performance Director with Athletics Ireland, said: “It is very exciting to reach this point in our Olympic journey.
“This is a highly accomplished Irish team, that includes stalwarts of our sport that will lead from the front when taking on the best in the world, and exciting young talent that is focussed on making their mark on the greatest stage of all.
“These athletes have been blazing a trail of success since the Tokyo Games and continue on an upward trajectory.
Most recently, performances at the European Championships and at the World Relay Championships have been unprecedented. Minds must now be focussed fully on the task at hand in Paris, and the execution of peak performance at the Games.
“All those that have supported these athletes on their journey deserve immense praise and respect, most particularly the coaches, who have lived every step of the journey along the way.
“We look forward to arriving at base camp in Fontainebleau, where preparations will be completed in a relaxed, focussed and supported environment, before transitioning into Paris.
“This brings to one hundred and twenty-two the official number of athletes who have so far been selected to represent Team Ireland at Paris 2024, a Games that will see us celebrate our centenary competing as a nation at the Olympic Games.”
The Olympic Games in Paris will run from July 24 to August 1, with the opening ceremony taking place on July 26.