Athletics
LONDON DIAMOND LEAGUE
- Mark English delivered one of the finest performances of his career as he smashed his 800m personal best to finish second at the London Diamond League on Saturday. The Donegal athlete clocked a stunning 1:42.97, dipping below the 1:43 mark for the first time and becoming just the latest Irish athlete to underline the country’s growing strength in middle-distance running. The performance takes almost half a second off the previous personal best he set in Hungary last year.
- There was further Irish success on the track as Sarah Healy claimed third place in the women’s 3,000m. Healy took more than a second off her personal best, crossing the line in an excellent 8:25.63 to continue her impressive season.
- National record holder Cian McPhillips also impressed in the high-quality field, finishing seventh in a season’s best time of 1:43.97. The performance ranks as the third-fastest 800m of McPhillips’ career.
EUROPEAN ATHLETICS U18 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN RIETI, ITALY
- 2025 EYOF athlete Lucie Cawley (Sligo AC) secured the nation’s first-ever steeplechase medal at the championships. The 16-year-old produced the race of her life in the women’s 2000m steeplechase final, claiming silver in a superb Irish U18 record time of 6:36.22.
- Fellow 2025 EYOF athlete Emma Hickey (United Striders AC) delivered a composed and tactical display to secure silver in the women’s 1500m. Her time of 4:24.90 was her third-fastest ever performance and earned her a second major international medal, following the bronze she won in the U20 women’s race at last year’s European Cross Country Championships.
- Isabelle Gaffney (West Waterford AC) claimed bronze in the women’s 800m. The 16-year-old executed her race plan superbly, equalling her personal best of 2:06.10 to secure a place on the podium.
Badminton
- Nhat Nguyen’s impressive week at the China Open World Tour 1000 came to an end at the quarter-final stage following a hard-fought three-game battle against world number 16 Toma Junior Popov. Nguyen made a flying start, taking the opening game 21-12 before Popov responded to level the contest. The Irishman looked in control of the deciding game with an 11-4 lead, but Popov fought back to claim victory.
Canoeing
- Ireland struck gold on the World Championship stage as 18-year-old Sean Butterly claimed victory in the Junior Men’s K1 1000m at the ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships at Lake Banook in Halifax, Canada.
- The Irish Canoe Slalom team competed at the World Championships in Oklahoma, a landmark event which officially opened the ranking window for qualification towards the LA28 Olympic Games. Jake Cochrane was the best of the Irish athletes, 27th in the C1 event. With Olympic qualification points now on offer, the championships marked an important first step on the journey to Los Angeles.
Swimming/Diving
- Jake Passmore celebrated a landmark moment in his career by winning his first international medal, claiming gold in the 1m Springboard at the Bolzano Diving Meet. The Irish diver delivered an outstanding performance to post a winning score of 371.25 points, securing top spot on the podium and marking a significant breakthrough on the international stage.
- Ellen Walshe set a new Irish Senior Record in the women’s 200m backstroke, clocking an outstanding 2:09.69 at the Irish Summer National Youth & Senior Championships. Her performance eclipsed the previous record of 2:10.75, which had stood since 2012 and was held by Irish swimming legend Melanie Nocher.
- Tom Fannon delivered a sensational swim in the men’s 50m freestyle, touching the wall in 21.58 seconds to establish a new Irish Senior Record and further underline his status as Ireland’s fastest swimmer at the Irish Summer National Youth & Senior Championships.
Cycling
- Lara Gillespie continued her remarkable run of form by securing victory at the Argenta Classic–Deurne in Belgium. Racing in the Irish champion’s jersey for the first time, the UAE Team ADQ rider produced a powerful sprint finish at the end of the 127.4km race to take her fourth victory of the season. Gillespie crossed the line ahead of Canadian road race champion Maggie Coles-Lyster and Dutch rider Lonneke Uneken after a fast and tactical day of racing.
- Seth Dunwoody, produced a stunning return to track racing by winning the U23 Points Race European title. The 20-year-old had already shown strong form with fifth place in the U23 Individual Pursuit earlier in the week before delivering a championship-winning performance in the Points Race.
- 2025 EYOF athlete Emer Heverin enjoyed a breakthrough championships at the Junior/U23 European Track Championships in Cottbus, Germany, returning home with both gold and silver medals.
- 2025 EYOF athlete Rían McCrystal claimed overall victory at the Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland while racing for the Irish national team.
- Lara Gillespie continued her strong run of form on the international road racing circuit, securing both a stage podium and an overall podium finish at the Tour de Pologne Women. Racing for UAE Team ADQ, the Irish champion sprinted to third place on the third and final stage, a 101.3km route from Janowiec to Lublin, bringing the race to a successful conclusion.
Equestrian
- Irish show jumper Tom Wachman added another international victory to Ireland’s tally by winning the McNerney Cup 1.45m during CSI5* competition at Spruce Meadows. Riding Hawaii, Wachman produced the fastest clear round of the jump-off, stopping the clock in 38.87 seconds to claim victory and secure a strong start to the five-star competition in Canada.
- Shane Sweetnam produced one of the finest victories of his career by winning the €500,000 Rolex Grand Prix of Falsterbo in Sweden aboard the Irish-bred gelding CSF James Kann Cruz (ISH).
Rowing
- Olympic Bronze Medallist Emily Hegarty had a fantastic result at Henley Royal Regatta, helping the University of London Boat Club and Molesey Boat Club composite eight to victory in the prestigious Bridge Challenge Plate. Racing in the stroke seat, the Olympian led the composite crew to a fine win over defending champions Thames Rowing Club in Sunday’s final.
- Eighteen-year-old Sophia Young produced a remarkable display in the Women’s Single Sculls, claiming silver in her first season competing at Under-23 level at the World U23 World Championships. Racing fearlessly from the outset, Young stayed in touch with the highly-fancied Romanian sculler throughout before crossing the line in 7:30.96, finishing narrowly behind the eventual champion.
- The men’s double of Jack Rafferty and Jonah Kirby, who secured a deserved bronze medal at the World U23 World Championships. The reigning Under-19 World Champions raced with maturity and confidence against a highly experienced field before producing a blistering finish to hold off the reigning Under-23 world champions from Italy and seal a place on the podium.
Rugby Sevens
- The Ireland Women’s Sevens team lifted silverware for just the second time in Rugby Europe Sevens Championship Series history after a dominant campaign saw them crowned Croatia 7s champions in Split. Ireland finished the three-day tournament unbeaten, sealing the title with a 26-12 victory over Poland in the Cup Final. Their six-match winning run yielded 30 tries while conceding only four, marking a significant turnaround from their sixth-place finish at the Hamburg leg earlier this summer.
Sailing
- Eve McMahon continued her excellent season by topping the podium at the ILCA North American Championships in San Pedro, Los Angeles.
- There were also encouraging performances from the wider Irish team, with Finn Lynch finishing ninth in the ILCA 7 fleet and Ewan McMahon placing 16th at the ILCA North American Championships in San Pedro, Los Angeles.
- Eve McMahon secured a superb bronze medal at the Sailing Grand Slam event in San Pedro, California, after a composed performance in the Final Series against some of the world’s best Olympic sailors.
Olympic Skeet
- Alexandra Hayman-Joyce delivered a record-breaking performance at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China. The Irish shooter finished 14th overall and set a new Irish Women’s Skeet record during qualification, recording a score of 117 from 125 targets to establish a new national benchmark.
Table Tennis
- There was also international success in table tennis as 2025 EYOF athlete Peadar Sheridan claimed a bronze medal at the European Youth Championships. Sheridan partnered Sweden’s Emil Ellerman in the Under-15 Boys Doubles event, with the pair battling their way to the podium in a highly competitive field.