Cathal Dennehy: Eamonn Coghlan legacy surpasses records made on the track

You’d have to think that if the Coghlan of 1983 could be transposed to 2025, with advances in so many areas, he’d have been right there with Jakob Ingebrigtsen. 

ONE OF THE GREATEST: World Championships Helsinki 1983 Eamonn Coghlan crosses the line for victory. Pic: ©INPHO

When an Olympic champion is starstruck, it says a lot about your standing. So it was at the Wild Duck bar in Eugene, Oregon, during the 2022 World Championships.

It was midway through the event and the great and good of the sport, past and present, had descended on the local watering hole to shoot the breeze with fellow running nerds.