A hamstring strain was the season behind Rhasidat Adeleke’s late withdrawal from the World Athletics Championships last September. The 23-year-old Dubliner confirmed recently that she picked up the injury three weeks before the World Championships in Tokyo, coming after a string of other injuries which had blighted her season.
Speaking just before Christmas on a visit to her former school, St Mark’s in Tallaght, Adeleke said that a series of niggling injuries meant she was unable to get a consistent training cycle this season. Adeleke, who trains out of University of Texas under coach Edrick Floréal, said: ‘‘It was really hard and very different year for me. I’m not someone who is usually injury prone and we took things to the next level training wise. I think my body was just breaking down, every time that I would get back healthy there was another niggle.”
On her withdrawal from Tokyo, she added: “It was a last-minute decision when I had strained my hamstring about three weeks beforehand. So we had decided to call it quits for the season because it would have taken me too long to get back into shape.”
Adeleke confirmed she has since returned to the track and is training well, with the European Championships in Birmingham next August among the meets she will be focusing her efforts on in 2026.
FRIDAY NIGHT
ULSTER OPENER
Armagh and Tyrone will meet in the preliminary round of the Ulster senior football championship in 2026 and the two counties will also be first into action in the New Year when they meet in the McKenna Cup at the Athletic Grounds under floodlights this evening. Yes, the secondary competitions are back in all four provinces. There will be more McKenna Cup action tomorrow and Sunday. On Saturday, Ger Brennan will make his debut as Dublin manager when the Dubs travel to play Laois in the O’Byrne Cup.
Brennan, a former Dublin defender, did well as manager of Louth and it will be interesting to see if he introduces many new players this weekend. We will also see action in the secondary competitions in Munster (McGrath Cup) and Connacht (FBD League) this weekend where new Mayo manager Andy Moran will make his debut in charge of his home county away game against Sligo who also have a new management pairing in Eamonn O’Hara and Dessie Sloyan. Kobe McDonald, the 18 year-old son of former Mayo star Ciaran McDonald, who is due to join Aussie Rules club St Kilda at the end of 2026, is expected to feature for the Mayo seniors in the coming weeks. Some pundits are calling young McDonald the “new David Clifford.”
WEDDING NEWS
FROM BLACKMORE
Former top jockey Rachael Blackmore will marry her long-term boyfriend Brian Hayes next month. The news was inadvertently leaked by trainer John “Shark” Hanlon at a recent Horse Racing awards dinner. Hanlon, who gave Rachael her first winning ride as amateur in 2011, said: ‘‘I remember when Rachael started Brian Hayes, another young jockey, was also there. Now they are getting married in January.’’ Rachael, who hails from Killenaule in Tipperary, retired earlier this year and is now works as an Ambassador for the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival. Hayes, who is from Rosscarbery in West Cork is still riding for various Irish trainers.
CLUB SEMIS
We will also have the All-Ireland club senior football semi-finals this weekend. Tomorrow, Ballyboden St Enda’s from Dublin and Kerry’s Daingean Ui Chúis meet in Pairc Ui Chaoimh and then on Sunday St Brigid’s of Roscommon will meet Scotstown from Monaghan in Breffni Park, Cavan. And the good news for Daingean Ui Chúis is that their Aussie Rules star Mark O’Connor should be available. It was earlier thought that O’Connor would not be released from pre-season training by his Aussie Rules club Geelong, but the player was back in Dingle on Christmas Eve.
O’KANE TAKES
BANAGHER REINS
Former Republic of Ireland international Eunan O’Kane was recently appointed manager of Derry GAA club Banagher. O’Kane is now living back home in his native Derry after the end his club career in England where he played for Leeds United, Bournemouth and Luton Town. O’Kane featured during the Giovanni Trapattoni era and was on standby for Euro 2016, but missed out on selection for the final 23-man squad for the tournament. The 35-year-old, who won 7 Irish senior caps, retired in 2021 after a series of injury problems. Banagher has never won the senior Derry football title, but their hurlers have won the Derry hurling championship three times.
BURNS CONFIRMS
PREZ APPROACH
GAA president Jarlath Burns has confirmed that he was approached to run as a candidate in the recent Irish Presidential election but declined. At a recent Oireachtas Committee meeting Burns was asked by one of the committee members if he had been an approached to be a candidate and he said yes, but didn’t confirm which party made the approach. In a later radio interview Burns explained that he reckoned he would have more of an impact on Irish society in other roles He said: ‘‘I actually feel that I can achieve more as president of the GAA, and going back to be principal of the largest school in the north, St Paul’s in Bessbrook, is a place where I can achieve more transformational change than sitting in Áras an Uachtaráin and talking nicely and opening things.”
