One indoor championship has just finished, and another is imminent, believe it or not only 12 days after the last one finished. Quite a few higher profile athletes didn't believe it and have decided to give the World Indoor Championships in far flung Nanjing, China a miss.
The World Indoor Championships from 21-23 March have been rescheduled three times since their original planned date in Covid-hit 2020, and it's a surprise the Chinese organisers didn't decide to cancel given they are also hosting the World Relays later this month and the World Championships in 2027.
The global indoor event kicks off the first of four global athletics events to be held in Chinese cities between 2025 and 2027, suggesting that the sport is an important focus for the country.
The last time China hosted a world championship, albeit outdoors, in Beijing in 2015, the host country had their biggest medal haul to date, and they may be hoping to get back to the peak of their powers with a little home boost, as Budapest in 2023 saw their lowest medal haul since 2005.
Ireland hasn't won a medal at a world indoors since Derval O'Rourke's gold in Moscow in 2006. Will the 2025 cohort of six athletes be the ones to break the 19-year medal drought after the most successful European Indoor championships in history?
Women's 3000m
Freshly-minted European gold medallist, Sarah Healy could be the answer to Irish athletics fans prayers in the 15-lap indoor race. As with quite a few of the events at the championships, low entries mean a straight final is on the schedule for Sunday which will surely suit Healy who is coming in off the high of winning gold in Apeldoorn.
The just turned 24-year-old flew out of the Dutch city as soon as possible to resume training in Dubai with her group M11 Track Club, which could bode well for the Dubliner, whose final goes off on Saturday at 11.15am Irish time, some 13 days after her exploits in the Netherlands.
Healy is ranked fourth out of the 14 athletes entered. It is a large field for an indoor final so expect some possible bumping and the chance of having a few fallers is high. Healy has proved she can cope with a messy race, some may forget, but in the early stages of that European victory she had to jump over an unconscious Maureen Koster and that seemed to have little effect on her last lap kick.
Three Ethiopians top the rankings this year with the 2024 1500m world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu looking most likely to take the title. But if last year's result in this event taught us anything, rankings mean nothing in championship scenarios.
The USA's Elle St. Pierre broke the championship record, defeating this year's 1500m title favourite Gudaf Tsegay in the process, all less than a year after giving birth. It was quite the story, aggressive racer St. Pierre will miss this year's championships as she is pregnant with her second child, but there will still be surprises on the podium and Ireland's Healy could be one of them.
Women's Pentathlon
Kate O'Connor is the other lead Irish entry, and she took a slightly different approach to Healy in her preparations for Nanjing. O'Connor was the only Irish medallist at the Europeans to receive the hero's welcome at Dublin airport before swiftly returning to training at her home base.
The European bronze medallist has had a unique path to success, being one of a few true 'homegrown' athletes in the current generation. She spent one year in Sheffield before returning to the folds of home to progress her career under the watchful eye of her father Michael.
The multi-events are strongest in Europe and the trend remains for the lead entries in Nanjing with European champion Saga Vanninen from Finland topping the list on season's best while O'Connor sits in a hopeful second.
One thing that can't be overlooked is that season's best in the five-event competition only tells half the story and Hungary's Xénia Krizsán is one that could fly under the radar with no season's best registered this year. The 32-year-old chose to sit out the European championships earlier this month in favour of targeting a global medal and could be a real challenger having finished seventh in last year's Olympic Games.
O'Connor will be the first Irish in action in Nanjing but unless you are a night owl you may miss it. The 60m hurdles start at 02:13 Irish time on Friday morning, but you should have no problem watching the last two events which will be on at a more reasonable hour at 10:55 and 13:08.
Women's 60m hurdles
With the absence of Mark English due to illness, Limerick's Sarah Lavin is the best of the rest for the Irish in Nanjing. The 31-year-old will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing fourth place finish in Apeldoorn in what was the fastest European 60m hurdles race in history. Lavin put together an impressive series across all three rounds in the Europeans and could be in prime position for making her third World indoor final.
Recent European champion Ditaji Kambundji broke the European record on route to the title and the Swiss athlete looks likely to join her sister in becoming a world indoor champion. There could also be a world record broken in the event with Kambundji's European mark only 0.02 off the world record held by Devynne Charlton who is ranked eighth on season's best this year.
Lavin's time of 7.92 places her 11th on the rankings this year but the upward trajectory of her season would indicate that the illusive 7.80 mark could be within reach in Nanjing, and will surely be enough for the final, which takes place on Sunday at 13:01 Irish time.
Men's 1500m and 3000m
Andrew Coscoran looks set to contest both the 1500m and 3000m after his best championship performance to date in the 3000m in Apeldoorn where he placed sixth.
The Ballbrigan man did seem disappointed with his final position but didn't put a foot wrong and just couldn't keep with the fast-finishing pace of Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who is also doubling up in Nanjing and Coscoran will face the Olympic champion again in his 1500m heat on the first evening session of the championships.
The 3000m will be a straight final and that could be what swayed Coscoran into attempting the double, where he goes in ranked fourth in both. It is worthwhile to note that the likes of Ingebrigtsen are low on the rankings having only run the European Championships. George Mills who finished second behind the Norwegian in Apeldoorn is among a spate of withdrawals due to illness and bumps Coscoran up to third on the season's best list for the 3000m.
James Gormley will claim his second Irish vest of the year after receiving an invite from World Athletics.
Women's 1500m
Sophie O'Sullivan will compete in her first indoor championships in Nanjing having never run a 1500m indoors thanks to her southern hemisphere upbringing. She has run a few mile races indoors while at the University of Washington, but this was on a 300m track.
It may be a surprise for some to see the daughter of Sonia O'Sullivan at these championships as she is the only Irish athlete to compete in China having not contested the Europeans but this, she says, is due to positive outdoor performance at the Perth Classic earlier this month, where she ran 4:06.74.
"I kind of tend to get injured that time of year...I was kind of focusing on the World Championships at the end of the year. I wanted to make sure that I was focusing on that.... so I was not really looking to race heaps," O'Sullivan told RTÉ Sport ahead of her heat on Friday.
"I haven't run any indoor races, but I ran one race outdoors in Australia. It kind of went better... I just kind of didn't know where I'd be at the first race... I figured I was in good shape, so I might as well come and give the indoors a crack," she added.
The 23-year-old is targeting making the final after narrowly missing out on progressing in both the Olympics last year and World Championships in 2023.
"I'm just kind of thinking, whatever the number of people it is to qualify (for the final), I'm trying to get there. And that's the easiest way to do the best you can and get through, just kind of focus on trying to get as high up in the race as possible and focus on the simple things of racing and competing and the things I know I can do well."
Indoor world record holder Gudaf Tsegay firmly holds the favourite spot with an incredible 3:53.92 mark from earlier this year that is some five seconds clear of the rest of the field. Healy's training partner, Georgia Hunter-Bell will be hoping to salvage a medal from this season having just missed on in Apeldoorn. The USA's Heather Maclean will make a return to international competition fresh from breaking the American record in the event, having missed out on both the 2024 Olympic games and 2023 World Championships, partially due to the highly competitive American trials.
How to Watch
You can watch on the Eurovision Sport website. It does require an account to watch but is free of charge.
Irish fans will also be able to tune in on BBC2 or via World Athletics' Livestream platform, Inside Track, which also requires a free account.
Irish Schedule
Morning Session – Friday 21 March
Kate O'Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – 60m Hurdles – Heat 2/2 – 02:13 (10:13)
Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – High Jump – 02:50 (10:50)
Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – Shot Put – 05:15 (13:15)
Evening Session – Friday 21 March
Sophie O’Sullivan – Women’s 1500m – Heat 3/3 – 10:55 (18:55)
Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – Long Jump – 10:42 (18:42)
Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 1500m – Heat 2/4 – 11:29 (19:29)
Kate O’Connor – Women’s Pentathlon – 800m – 13:08 (21:08)
Evening Session – Saturday 22 March
Sarah Healy – Women’s 3000m – Final – 11:15 (19:15)
Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 3000m – Final – 11:33 (19:33)
James Gormley – Men’s 3000m – Final – 11:33 (19:33)
Morning Session – Sunday 23 March
Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Heats – 02:25 (10:25)
Evening Session – Sunday 23 March
Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Semi-Final – 11:35 (19:35) *
Andrew Coscoran – Men’s 1500m – Final – 12:15 (20:15) *
Sophie O’Sullivan – Women’s 1500m – Final – 12:28 (20:28) *
Sarah Lavin – Women’s 60m Hurdles – Final – 13:01 (21:01) *
*Subject to advancing
(Local time in brackets)
