Galway athletes made their presence felt at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Galway had strong representation via sprinters and relay team members. Lucas Fadden of Galway City Harriers took part in the 4x100m relay squad, while Andrew Egan and Sean Doggett were part of the 4x400m relay squad. University of Galway alumni Fiona Everard also competed over the 10,000m distance.
In the relay events, young sprint talents Egan of GCH and Athenry AC's Sean Doggett featured as part of Ireland’s men’s 4x400m relay pool. The Galway duo combined with Jack Raftery and Joe Doody and the squad impressed in the heats by clocking the third-fastest 4x400m performance in Irish athletics history, placing 10th overall in Europe, just off a final spot. For sprinter Doggett, aged 19, the championship provided another key milestone on the senior international stage following his Irish National Senior Indoor 400m title earlier this year.
GCH sprinter Fadden was named on the men’s 4x100m relay squad, which enjoyed a breakout championship. The Irish 4x100m men’s team successfully advanced to the European final, clocking a season’s best 39.13 in the heats before ultimately placing seventh in Europe.
Everard capped off a strong 2026 track campaign with a top-20 finish in the women's 10,000m final. Crossing the line in 33:08.60, Everard placed 20th in Europe against a formidable distance field.
Ireland enjoyed a historic performance at the European Athletics Championships, securing four medals, two gold, one silver, one bronze, as they finished ninth in the overall medal standings. Headline victories came from 800m gold for Mark English and the Heptathlon victory for Kate O'Connor. Silver for Rhasidat Adeleke over 200m, and bronze for Andrew Corcoran over 1500m also represented massive success for the Irish team.
Road races
This weekend sees the Claregalway 8km Race take place on Saturday, August 22 at 10am.
The race starts at Claregalway Corporate Park; number pickup is at the Claregalway Community Centre (H91 THH4 ) starting from 8:00 AM, with limited on the day entry.
Maebh Brannigan of GCH put in another exceptional performance last weekend to win the Frank Duffy 10 Mile in a new 10-mile personal best of 56:59. The victory continues a strong season for Brannigan, who also finished second in the Dublin City Council Dublin Half Marathon earlier this year.
