Cathal Dennehy: All roads lead to Rome as Irish athletes get ready for Olympic rehearsal at Europeans
Ireland's Israel Olatunde training ahead of 2024 European Athletics Championships at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
There’s always something a little strange about a European Athletics Championships in an Olympic year. It has the feel of an hors d’oeuvre, a bit of track and field foreplay. It’s important, yes, but we’re still two months out from the season’s climax.
Still, the event’s significance is underlined by the presence of global stars like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Karsten Warholm, Femke Bol and Mondo Duplantis. Sure, some A-listers like Josh Kerr and Sifan Hassan have steered clear, their eyes looking up the road to Paris, but the brightest stars of Irish athletics are here, primed for a huge week at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
