NATIONAL TITLES ON THE LINE IN RAHENY

NATIONAL TITLES ON THE LINE IN RAHENY AS WORLD RACE WALKING TOUR COMES TO TOWN

Irish Olympian David Kenny and four-time World Championship medalist Perseus Karlström lead a bumper entry of over 250 athletes from 30 countries and five continents when the World Race Walking Tour kicks off its first leg in St. Annes Park, Raheny, Dublin on Sunday.

The Swede, who is coached by Irish World Champion and Olympic medalist Rob Heffernan finished second in the overall World Race Walking Tour in 2023 to win a sizeable share of the total prize money of $200,000 available for the Tour.

Following his silver medal winning performance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last August, Karlström will be hoping to go one better in the Paris Olympics and will use Dublin as his launch pad for the Olympic season ahead.

The Swede will not have things his own way however as he will be pressed hard by Irish Olympian David Kenny, a trio of strong Mexicans, former World Junior Champion Englishman Callum Wilkinson who is also coached by Rob Heffernan and US Olympian Nick Christie.

Oisin Lane (Mullingar Harriers) will be hoping to achieve the qualifying standard for the World Race Walking Team Championships in Turkey next April.

History will be made in Raheny on Sunday when the first ever Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay ever held in Europe will take place.

This new event, which is now on the Olympic programme in Paris, encompasses a man and a woman each taking a 10km leg over the marathon distance with the leading man doing 12.195km on the first leg.

The favourites will be Slovakia’s Dominik Černý and Hana Burzalová who both competed at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last summer but they will be pushed hard by Irish duo of three time Olympian Brendan Boyce and former World Youth Champion Kate Veale. Strong teams from Hungary, Finland and Croatia will make that event a high quality one with Paris Olympic qualification an obvious goal.

The women’s 20km will be just as competitive but without an outright favourite as anyone of Agnieszka Ellward (Poland), Mária Katerinka Czaková (Slovakia) Robyn Stevens (USA) and Olga Fiaska (Greece) could take the overall honours.

The Junior 10km races will also be competitive with young Moroccan Mohamed Amine Mansouri looking to qualify for the World U20 Championships but he will face stiff opposition from off duty US Marine Clayton Stoil (USA) and European Youth Olympic representative Seamus Clarke (Moy Valley) and Andrew Glennon (Mullingar Harriers).

In the U20 Women’s race Aisling Lane (Mullingar Harriers), Ciara Wilson Bowan (Dundrum South Dublin), and Meabh O’Connor (Waterford) will be all hoping to lay down a marker ahead of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya next April.

In the U18 5km races, both Savanagh O’Callaghan and Matthew Newell (Tuam) have already achieved qualifying times for the European U18 Championships next July and they will be looking to put down a good markers for the season.

O’Callaghan will face stiff opposition from Romanian record holder Alessia Pop, Slovakia’s Petra Kusá and Britain’s Lola-Mae Billingham who finished third in last summers International Schools Championship behind O’Callaghan and Sinead Maher from South Galway who is also racing on Sunday.

Credit to the coaches and clubs from all over Ireland for travelling ro Raheny in such large numbers on Sunday.

Schedule:

• 11am - 20km Men & Women, 10km U20m Men & Women, 10km Masters Men & Women, Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay, 35km, 5km Boys           
• 12pm - 3km Boys & Girls
• 12.25pm - 5km Girls
• 1pm - 2km Boys & Girls
• 1.15pm - 500m & 1km Boys & Girls

Start Lists Here

World Race Walking Tour Calendar Here

The action begins at 11am with live results available Here