During the concluding day of the World Under-20 Athletics in Lima, Peru, the Irish team comprising Conor Kelly from Derry Track Club, David Davitt of Clonliffe Harriers AC, Sean Doggett of Athenry AC and Stephen Mannion hailing from South Galway AC, secured the seventh spot out of nine teams competing in the men’s 4x400m relay. The team’s collective efforts resulted in a time of 3:09.73, narrowly missing the Irish record of 3:08.94 that was previously established when they came third in their initial heat. The championship was won by the USA with a time of 3:03.56, followed by South Africa and Australia who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, while Botswana was disqualified. Kelly and Doggett, both 17, remain eligible to compete in the Under-20 Championships in 2026. Additionally, Davitt also participated in the 400m hurdles earlier in the week, making it to the semi-finals.
In the championships, another highlight for Ireland was Oisín Joyce clinching a bronze medal in javelin, making it a historic first for an Irish athlete to bag a podium finish in a throwing event of this level. Elizabeth Ndudi, despite a recent back injury that prevented her training for a few days, secured the sixth position in the long jump, narrowly missing out on the bronze medal
Sarah Lavin, in her Athletics return post the Paris Olympics, achieved a third place finish in the 100m hurdles at the Fribourg Track Lab gathering in Switzerland, and once again succeeded in crossing the finish line in under 13 seconds, with a precise timing of 12.90.