There will be strong local interest in the 2022 World Athletics Championships which begin this Friday in Oregon in the United States.
North Sligo Athletic Club’s Christopher O’Donnell and the Donegal trio of Mark English, Brendan Boyce and John Kelly are part of the 21-strong Ireland team, who are based at the McKenzie River Resort, in Eugene.
This will be the first time that the World Athletics Championships have been hosted on US soil, and they’ll take place at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon from Friday, July 15th to Sunday, July 24th.
O’Donnell will run for Ireland in the men’s 400 metres and the 4×400 metres mixed relay, in which Ireland reached the Olympic final in Tokyo last year.
Finn Valley’s Mark English is preparing for his fifth World Championships – and goes in the heats of the men’s 800 metres next Wednesday night.
Brendan Boyce will have a bit of a wait for his event – as the men’s 35-kilometre walk is scheduled for the final day of competition on Sunday, July 24th.
Kelly, who was a late addition to the Ireland team after setting a new Irish record for the Shot Putt, competes in the early hours of Saturday morning (Irish time).
At a glance – Local athletes schedule
| DATE | NAME | EVENT | TIME (Irish) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, July 15th | Chris O'Donnell | 4x400 Mixed Relay (Heats) | 19:45 |
| Sat, July 16th | John Kelly | Men's Shot Putt | 02:55 (Sat am) |
| Sat, July 16th | Chris O'Donnell | 4x400 Mixed Relay (Final) | 03:50 (Sat am) |
| Sun, July 17th | Chris O'Donnell | Men's 400m (Heats) | 20:00 |
| Wed, July 20th | Mark English | Men's 800m (Heats) | 01.20 (Thurs am) |
| Sun, July 24th | Brendan Boyce | Men's 35k walk | 14:15 |
Team Ireland’s pre-Games camp has already attracted plenty of local media interest.
O’Donnell will be one of the first Irish athletes in action when he runs in the heats of the 4×400 mixed relay on Friday at 7:45pm (Irish time).
