Cliodhna Manning was a travelling reserve for Ireland’s mixed 4×400 metres relay team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

She was named in the six-person panel for the event but did not compete in either the heats or the final. Manning is a former Irish national 400m champion, having won the title in 2017 with Kilkenny City Harriers. Her route to the Tokyo squad was a remarkable comeback story: a series of injuries kept her out of competitive athletics for several years, and she spent much of her recovery training on grass in Kilkenny’s Castle Park during the COVID-19 pandemic while completing a Master’s degree at IT Carlow. She returned to form in 2021 by winning her heat and finishing second in the 400m at the national championships behind Phil Healy, a performance that brought her to the selection committee’s attention. She also represented Ireland in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn.