European champion Ciara Mageean will miss out on this weekend’s 123.ie National Senior Track and Field Championships as she continues to focus on recovery from her European 1500m gold-medal-winning exertions three weeks ago.
Mageean said: “After careful consideration and consultation with my coaches and support team, I have decided to withdraw from the upcoming national athletics championships. This decision was not made lightly, but it is crucial to prioritize my recovery at this time.
“Following the European Championships, where I experienced the brilliant high of winning gold, I have been dealing with fatigue and have not recovered fully. At this time, I need to focus on getting back to full health to ensure I can put in the hard training sessions necessary to compete with the best in the world.
“I want to thank Athletics Ireland, all the fans, and sponsors for their understanding and continued encouragement. I look forward to being back on track soon, with my sights set on representing our nation with pride in Paris.”
However, a host of other Irish stars are to feature at what will the 152nd edition of the longest consecutive running national senior track championships in the world.
Most of the medallists from that record-breaking six days in Rome will be in action on Saturday and Sunday at Morton Stadium in Dublin, in front of the largest crowd in recent years.
Among the entries are: Rhasidat Adeleke (100m), Thomas Barr (400m hurdles), Christopher O’Donnell (400m), Sharlene Mawdsley (200m), Sophie Becker (400m), Phil Healy (200m & 400m), and Lauren Cadden (400m).
Two relay teams and ten Irish athletes have qualified automatically for the Olympics.
Relay medallists Barr and Becker are among those currently inside the quota places for Paris without having reached the automatic qualifying times and could need to win their respective individual events this weekend to stay in the reckoning.
Mixed-relay winner O’Donnell will need to shave 0.25 off his personal best to qualify for the individual 400m.
The action gets underway from 11am on Saturday, and from 10am on Sunday.
Watch the 123.ie National Athletics Championships on Sunday from 12.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
