Some of Ireland’s stars have been in action already at the beginning of the indoor season as they target the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze and Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships.
Mark English opened his season with a mighty 1:15.80 over 600m to break his Irish best by nearly a second, and finish over five seconds ahead of clear of the field on Wedesday (14) in Abbotstown, Ireland.
The European medallist continued his fine form from last summer where he lowered his own Irish 800m record three times to bring it down to 1:43.37, before his compatriot Cian McPhillips broke it at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships.
𝟏:𝟏𝟓.𝟖𝟎 🔥⚡️
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) January 15, 2026
A superb solo effort from Mark English (Finn Valley AC) to lower his own Irish indoor 600m record at last night’s Track and Field Live meet 🤩#IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/hJ7L3sLAED
English’s indoor season continues on 18 January when he races over his typical 800m in Luxembourg at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting.
Meanwhile, Sarah Leahy was representing the Irish in Switzerland, where she clocked 6.41 for a national 50m indoor best.
The 26-year-old also won the 60m at the same meet with a time of 7.44, her second-best season opener over this distance.