Euro Indoors Preview: Ireland have a slew of genuine medal contenders in their ranks

With four European medals to his name – two indoors, two outdoors – Mark English has the class and racing guile needed to get it done at this level.

MEDAL HOPE: Ireland’s Mark English during the race. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy.

The Irish might have come home empty-handed from three of the last four editions of the European Indoor Championships, but it will be a shock if they fail to hit the medal heights this weekend in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.

There may be no Rhasidat Adeleke or Ciara Mageean, but it says much about the rising tide in the sport that there is still a slew of genuine medal contenders in their ranks. One who’s been there, and done that, several times before: Mark English.

With four European medals to his name – two indoors, two outdoors – the Donegal athlete has the class and racing guile needed to get it done at this level. In what is likely his last season, English, who turns 32 later this month, has a great chance to add to his medal haul.

He goes into the 800m ranked third via his recent national indoor record of 1:45.15, but there is precious little between the big contenders. English could win gold. He could also get knocked out in the semi-final.

Such is the state of play in an event where a dozen men will fancy their medal chances. English, like his teammate Cian McPhillips, will first have to worry about making the final, and both look capable of doing that.

The strongest Irish medal chances of all look to be in the women's 3000m and pentathlon, where Sarah Healy and Kate O'Connor – who both won European U-20 silver back in 2019 – will look to come of age with their first senior European medals.

Both of those events, along with the men's 800m final, will play out on Sunday afternoon in what could be a special couple of hours for Irish athletics.

Healy is ranked second in the 3000m via her recent national indoor record of 8:30.79 and while she has struggled at several championships in the past, the Dubliner has taken a big step forward this year and this looks a gilt-edged medal shot – the kind that doesn’t come often.

O'Connor looks capable of winning Ireland its first ever major senior multi-events medal, though with five events to contend with, it only takes one error for that to slip away.

Andrew Coscoran has been in superb form this season, setting Irish indoor records over 1500m, the mile and 3000m, and while he's ranked third in the 3000m, a medal could be a tough ask given the calibre of opposition and his recent illness.

Sharlene Mawdsley will get her campaign under way in the individual 400m tomorrow and if she opts into tonight’s mixed 4x400m final, then Ireland will have a decent medal chance. In her absence, it looks an impossible task.

Sarah Lavin will get her campaign under way in the 60m hurdles heats this evening and she’ll hope to improve on her sixth-place finish in the final two years ago.

She dipped below eight seconds twice this season and will need similar to earn a place in the final.

Irish in action (all times Irish)

6.55pm: Cathal Doyle, men’s 1500m heats

7:48pm: Sarah Lavin, women’s 60m hurdles heats

8.52pm: Mixed 4x400m relay final