O’Connor and Mawdsley Shine at National Indoor Championships
Dublin, Ireland – Kate O’Connor and Sharlene Mawdsley were the stars of the show at the 123.ie National Senior Indoor Championships held at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Record-Breaking Performance by O’Connor
O’Connor set the tone for the day with a spectacular performance in the women’s long jump. Her opening-round leap of 6.50m wasn’t just a personal best; it also established a new championship record, electrifying the crowd of thousands in attendance. This jump propelled O’Connor to third on the Irish all-time list, capping off a remarkable weekend that included a personal best of 8.21 in the 60m hurdles on Saturday.
“I’ve be training well and I was never going to enter myself into something I’m not training well in. It’s one thing doing well in training, but another thing to come out and do it when you’re under the pressure of competition.”
Kate O’Connor
O’Connor emphasized the importance of preparation and performing under pressure, highlighting her dedication to the sport. She added, You’ve three chances to put in a good attempt as a multi-eventer, so I’m delighted I put that jump in on my first attempt.
Reflecting on her progress, O’Connor stated, Last year I made leaps and bounds forward, but I ended last year knowing I had so much more potential. I didn’t feel in any way that I had maxed out any of the events and that’s what we’ve been working on all winter. This is my job now and I’m working towards my goals for 2026.
Mawdsley Secures Third Consecutive Title
Sharlene Mawdsley continued her dominance in the women’s 400m, claiming her third consecutive national indoor title with a composed run in 51.89 seconds.
Despite her success, Mawdsley confirmed she will not be competing at the World Indoor Championships. No. I was actually never meant to do indoors, that’s what we had discussed from the start of the year. I don’t know if you recall, but it’s never been extremely good to me….
she explained to RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen.
“I’ve been injured, I’ve got disqualified, I just had no grá for it this year and I was just like, ‘I’m going to give it a miss, I’m going to train hard’. I’m in quite a heavy block. I came out today for my friends and family. They got to be here with me and it’s not often that you get to show up to national championships, so yeah that’s my reason for it this year.”
Sharlene Mawdsley
Mawdsley is prioritizing preparation for the World Relays, stating, World Relays is really just around the corner. We have to qualify teams for that, there’s none next year. We have to put in a good foundation, so for me to be at my best, I want to be in that final in Birmingham. I want to be walking away with medals with the girls in the mixed relay and I’ll be disappointed if we don’t.
Other Notable Results
The championships also saw impressive performances from other athletes:
- Sean Doggett won the men’s 400m in 47.33 seconds.
- Ciara Neville secured her third national indoor title in the women’s 60m (7.27).
- Bori Akinola defended his title in the men’s 60m (6.60).
- Nick Griggs claimed his first senior indoor title in the men’s 3000m (8:14.52).
- Louise Shanahan added the 3000m indoor title to her collection (9:22.47).
- Lucy Holmes won the women’s 1500m (4:31.10).
- Lughaidh Mallon captured gold in the men’s 1500m (3:43.45).
- Hannah Seagrave claimed her first senior indoor title in the women’s 800m.
- Cillian Kirwan won the men’s 800m in a new championship record time of 1:47.68.
- Kate Veale won her tenth consecutive national indoor title in the race walk.
- Oisín Lane secured his first senior indoor crown in the men’s race walk.
- Eric Favors broke the championships record in the men’s shot with 19.57m.
- Michaela Walsh picked up her ninth indoor title in a row.
- Michael Kent retained his title in the men’s pole vault with a best clearance of 4.50m.
Looking Ahead
The National Indoor Championships showcased the depth of Irish athletic talent and set the stage for upcoming international competitions.