Difficult qualifying path as Irish athletes begin medal quest at World Championships

It is, in many ways, a make-or-break weekend for Ireland at the IAAF World Championships in London, with seven of the 11-strong team taking to the track or roads in the English capital over the next two days.

In all likelihood, any hopes of a medal will have to be put on ice until next weekend, when Rob Heffernan goes for what will likely be his last hurrah in the men’s 50km race walk. This weekend, the goal for those on the track with be to navigate the rocky path through qualification, and if Mark English and Thomas Barr can sneak into a final, it would be a superb start.

After Ciara Mageean’s shock exit in the 1,550 heats last night, the first of the Irish into action today will be Brian Gregan, who has a tricky assignment in heat four of the men’s 400m. The 27-year-old Dubliner is the fifth fastest of the eight athletes, so may need to surpass his personal best of 45.26 to secure one of the top three automatic qualifying spots. “Everything has been going well,” said Gregan. “I’ve done some big sessions over the last two weeks and it’s all building up nicely. If I run a PB, I’ve got to be happy.”