Ireland’s women delivered a historic and inspirational performance at the 2025 European Indoor Athletics Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. With gold and bronze medals, national records, and remarkable personal bests, the Irish women proved that they belong among Europe’s elite.
Thursday
Thursday saw the Mixed 4x400m Relay, where the team featuring Sharlene Mawdsley, Phil Healy, Conor Kelly and Marcus Lawlor—delivered a strong performance to finish fifth, with Sharlene running the fastest split out of any woman in the event.. Later in the day, Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) stormed into the final of the Women’s 60m Hurdles, clocking 7.94 seconds to finish second in her semi-final behind Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska.
Friday
Sarah Lavin had an excellent display in the 60m Hurdles final, finishing fourth in an extremely competitive race, just missing out on a podium place.
In the Women’s 400m heats, both Rachel McCann (53.16 seconds, PB) and Lauren Cadden (56.57 seconds) competed valiantly, though neither advanced to the semi-finals.
Saturday
Sarah Healy (UCD AC) showcased her dominance in the Women’s 3000m heats, comfortably qualifying for the final with a time of 8:55.35. Jodie McCann also competed, finishing tenth in her heat with 9:18.73, missing out on a place in the final.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s 60m Para Mixed Classification, Orla Comerford (Raheny Shamrock AC) delivered a sensational gold medal-winning performance with a 7.63-second finish.
Sunday
The final day of competition proved to be a landmark moment for Irish women’s athletics.
In a thrilling race, Sarah Healy dug deep to edge out Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant and claim gold for Ireland with a winning time of 8:52.86. This victory marked another milestone in Healy’s unstoppable 2025 season, solidifying her reputation as one of Europe’s brightest middle-distance talents.
Kate O’Connor delivered an extraordinary performance in the Women’s Pentathlon, claiming bronze with an incredible showing in the 800m. O’Connor set four personal bests across the competition. Her third-place finish made Irish history, as she became the first-ever Irish athlete to win a multi-event medal at a senior European Championships. A monumental achievement for Irish athletics!
To close out the championships, Ireland’s 4x400m relay team - comprising Rachel McCann, Lauren Cadden, Arlene Crossan, and Cliodhna Manning - fought hard to place sixth in the final.
With three medals, multiple personal bests, and standout performances, Ireland’s women delivered one of their strongest-ever showings at a European Indoor Championships. The results in Apeldoorn serve as proof of the rising standards in Irish women’s athletics, and the momentum will no doubt carry forward into the outdoor season.
