After graduating from school of hard knocks in Paris, Doyle has spring in step

The last two years have shown the 27-year-old Dubliner he can make the 1500m final, and perhaps make an impact on the opening night of European Indoor Championships

STRETCHING THOSE FIBRES: Cathal Doyle of Ireland during a training session at the Omnisport Apeldoorn in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, ahead of the European Athletics Indoor Championships 2025. Pi: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

"Wearing an Irish vest is always a good buzz," says Cathal Doyle ahead of his 1500m heat at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, on Thursday night. "I’m looking forward to giving it a good rattle."

The Dubliner may be far down the list on rankings but he’s developed a good habit of outperforming such metrics, given his vast range of gears is so well suited to championship racing. This will be his first European Indoors, though the last two years have shown the 27-year-old he can make the final, and perhaps make an impact.

"If I watch a few races from the Olympics back, I see I’m in the mix and there’s no reason why I can't,” he says. “Mentally, I know I’m not just making up the numbers. I approach races more with the I’m-in-to-win attitude. Paris was great because it’s always something I can refer back to: I’ve done that before, I beat those guys before so there’s no reason you can't beat them again."

The Olympics were both the culmination of a dream and his greatest school day, giving Doyle an education in what's required. He had the form to advance from his 1500m heat but got jostled and shuffled down the field on the penultimate lap, his typically swift last lap only good enough for ninth. The lesson?

"Tactically, you just can't get away with sitting at the back and trying to come through," he says. "Everyone's going to close in a 39 (second) 300 so you need to be further up. It's more learning how to be more comfortable longer into the race and that comes with more training and more experience, just getting quicker and stronger."

In the repechage that followed in Paris, Doyle ran like a wily veteran, keeping himself in contention before powering to victory to earn a spot in the semi-final where, in his third race in three days, he finished 10th.

The Dubliner has built up plenty of experience on the circuit in recent years and before that in the NCAA - competing for the University of Portland. He knows now what's required. "It's just being in the right spot. Once you're in the right spot and you can close in a 39, even a 38, you're going to go well. Where you are coming into the last lap is the crucial thing, especially indoor. Position is the main thing."

Ahead of the Olympic year, Doyle relocated to Brighton where he is coached by Jon Bigg, and his performances last year earned him his first professional contract with Nike. How important was that? 

"I suppose it’s like, ‘I’m getting something for all these sacrifices and training'. It’s more confirmation to myself that all the work I’ve done and the sacrifices I’ve made, it wasn’t all for nothing. Other than that, nothing has actually changed, I’ve always taken the training and everything serious and did everything right. It is a job now, which is kind of mental, when I think about it."

Before he got that contract, he used to race at pro meetings in the vest of his club, Clonliffe Harriers, which helped him run with a "chip on your shoulder, a bit more of a blue collar mindset," he says. "I feel I run better when I have that kind of attitude.” 

At 27, he continues to chip away at his personal bests, looking more at home against the midde-distance elite each season. 

Progression wise, touchwood, I’ve run a PB every year since I started running so once I'm doing that, I'm kind of happy out. You always want to make bigger jumps but I am progressing, I know I am on the right path.

Doyle had a front-row seat when Jakob Ingebrigtsen set the indoor 1500m and mile world records in Lievin, France, last month, splitting 3:29.63 en route to a 3:45.14 mile, with Doyle clocking 3:53.18 and beating several world-class rivals in third.

“It was cool to be a part of that race and just get more exposure to (world-class) races. And listen, you can't get anything bigger than Jakob. I remember I looked up at one stage and he was on the same straight to me and I thought, 'I'm actually going OK here if I'm on the same straight.' With maybe three laps to go, all of a sudden he was gone, but the more I can be in the cauldron with those kind of guys, you just get more familiar."

Ingebrigtsen will attempt another 1500m-3000m double this weekend and will likely achieve it. But behind the Norwegian superstar, it’s all to play for. 

"That gave me a lot of confidence that I was able to beat a lot of good guys," says Doyle. "I'm not a million miles off here. Hopefully, I can close the gap."