THE ‘sold out’ signs will be on display this weekend at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin for the National Senior Indoor Championships.
The domestic showpiece kicks off tomorrow at midday but most of the finals will not be down for decision until Sunday afternoon.
It will be the final opportunity for Ireland’s top athletes to gain valuable qualification for next month’s European Indoor Championships at Apeldoorn in the Netherland (March 6-9).
Unusually for Irish athletics, tickets for the second day are already all gone and spectators should not travel to the venue without a ‘Sunday ticket’.
A limited number of tickets for Saturday are still available and both days of competition will be streamed live on the Athletics Ireland YouTube Channel.
On display in Abbotstown will be many of the Irish athletes who shone at last year’s European Athletics Championships in Rome and later at the Paris Olympics. These include Sarah Lavin (60m hurdles), Sharlene Mawdsley (200m/400m), Cathal Doyle (1500m), and recent record-breakers Sarah Healy (800m/1500m) and Andrew Coscoran (1500m/3000m).
The 200m and 60m hurdles finals headline tomorrow’s track action, while in the field there are interesting high jump and triple jump competitions.
Sunday afternoon’s programme looks tasty. Ireland’s fastest man, Israel Olatunde, bids to make it four consecutive 60m titles, while the women’s 400m has entries from Sharlene Mawdsley, Phil Healy, Lauren Cadden, Donegal’s Kelly McGrory, and North Down’s Rachel McCann.
Expect Derry Track Club teenager Conor Kelly to shake up established internationals like Cillin Greene, and Jack Raftery in the men’s 400m.
Kelly, bronze medallist in last year’s Euro U18 champs, ran 46.80 in Sheffield two weeks ago to move to 11th on the Irish all-time senior list just behind Raftery (5th/46.37) and Greene (7th/46.49).
Finn Valley’s Mark English is entered for the 800m, after setting the national record twice in recent weeks, as is Cian McPhillips, who moved to number two on the all-time list last week in the USA.
It took a photo to split the pair in English’s favour four years ago at these championships and a repeat of that race would be worth the admission money on its own.
The focus on the local scene is fixed on the NI & Ulster Senior Cross Championships which returns to its spiritual home in Lurgan Park, the venue for many a year in the past.
Conall McClean will never have a better opportunity to land his first provincial senior cross country title. The Candour TC athlete broke 14 minutes for 5000m last weekend in Boston and providing he has recovered will be difficult to beat.
Other contenders include defending champion Finn McNally, Neil Johnson, Andrew Milligan and dark horse Matthew Lavery. Despite the absence of key man Conan McCaughey, North Belfast Harriers look capable of wresting the team title from Annadale Striders.
It also looks like it could be a Candour double with Roise Roberts favoured to win the women’s race.
The team race pits the youth of Willowfield Temperance Harriers versus the experience of City of Derry Spartans.
All of the east Belfast club’s scorers could be in their teens, while the Derry side rely on master athletes. The outcome of that battle could well depend on the going as the Willowfield should thrive on firm going.
Meanwhile, country clubs grabbed the lion’s share of glory at the Ulster Secondary Schools’ Cross Country on Wednesday.
Both senior titles went west with St Michael’s, Enniskillen student Frank Buchanan taking the boys’ title, while Elsa Moore from Royal & Prior, Raphoe claimed the senior girls’ individual gold.
St Colman’s and St Malachy’s, Belfast carved up the boys’ team titles, 3-2 in favour of the Newry lads. The girls’ team titles were spread all over the province with Mount Lourdes, Enniskillen doing the double.