Lack of any Irish presence at the World Cross-Country ‘alarming’ says leading coach

Not long ago it was arguably the race of the year, for runner and spectator, the World Cross-Country Championships a properly global event and an Irish presence always chosen and strong.

It also came steeped in tradition, beginning with the International Cross-Country in 1903 in Hamilton in Scotland, before World Athletics (the IAAF back then) took over and staged the first World Cross-Country at Waregem racecourse in Belgium in 1973.

The modern Irish triumphs soon followed: John Treacy in Glasgow ‘78 and again in Limerick ‘79; Catherina McKiernan’s four successive silver medals before Sonia O’Sullivan’s double gold in ‘98; team medals too, including a first for the Irish senior women in ‘97.

Only not this year. With the 44th staging of the event set for Saturday week in Bathurst, about 200km northwest of Sydney, Athletics Ireland has confirmed no Irish athlete has been selected, despite the record five-medal haul at the European Cross-Country just two months ago.

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Each member federation could enter up to 28 athletes across the five races (senior men and women, under-20 men and women, and a mixed 4x2km relay). Athletics Ireland’s selection policy was open to any Irish athlete who finished in the top-10 at the European event (senior and under-20) or teams that finished in the top-three (where key team members remained eligible).

The selection policy added: “Additionally, individual athletes deemed capable of a top-30 position in Bathurst would also be considered” regardless of the European Cross-Country. However, “key athletes in the above categories have indicated that their performance priorities currently lie elsewhere, with their focus shifting to either the European Indoor Championships, preparing for the outdoor season, or moving on to the road.”

Sonia O’Sullivan, in her Irish Times column last month, had urged Athletics Ireland to consider at least some Irish presence in Bathurst, to “see this as a springboard to take on the world, for more Irish athletes to see where they truly stand on the global stage.”

For Feidhlim Kelly, coach at the Dublin Track Club (DTC), several members of which including Seán Tobin, Hiko Haso and Michelle Finn might have been considered, the lack of any Irish presence in Bathurst is “alarming”, although for a variety of reasons not entirely surprising.

It’s the same weekend as the Irish Indoor Championships, the main selection event for the European Indoors in Istanbul the first weekend in March.

“I certainly wouldn’t put the Irish Indoors ahead of the World Cross-Country,” Kelly says. “But right now Seán (Tobin) is preparing for the London marathon, Hiko [Haso] is injured, and Michelle (Finn) is back teaching full-time.

“I do think Athletics Ireland could have targeted the mixed relay, that was certainly feasible, and a missed opportunity. With a bit more planning we should have been able to get four runners together, to run a 2km leg.

“We’ve no Sarah Healy [injured], Ciara Mageean is racing indoors, but I also think if it wasn’t so far away there would have been an opportunity to send some juniors, but this would take them out for two weeks, essentially, between the travel, the racing and the jet lag, coming home pretty smashed.

“So I’d give Athletics Ireland a pass on this one, it’s not a straight red card. Still it is a truer reflection of where Irish distance running is right now, the depth just isn’t there, and that’s alarming. But we’re not alone on that, you see it happening with a lot of other European countries now.”

Hosts Australia are one of the few non-African nations to name a full 28-strong squad, Britain naming 17 athletes, including the mixed relay. Last staged in 2019, the event has gone biennial since 2011 (postponed in 2021 due to Covid); Ireland in the distant past winning 10 individual medals in all, plus four team medals.

“There is still a big chasm there when it comes to the global championships, and we’re a little over the top when it comes to celebrating medals at the European level,” adds Kelly. “There’s also a need to sit down with more of the athletes in advance, try to be a bit more creative, rather than just send out selection criteria.”