Finn Valley duo confirmed for World Championships, Erin Friel named as reserve

Finn Valley duo Mark English and Conor Kelly have been confirmed for the Ireland athletics squad, while Erin Friel has been named as a non-travelling reserve.

Mark English comes into the competition in flying form, lowering his own National Record in the 800m by over half a second in the middle of August in Budapest.

The Letterkenny native set a time of 1:43.37 at the Gyulai István Memorial - a World Athletics Gold level meet, smashing his previous record of 1:43.92, which he set in the Netherlands in June, becoming the first Irish athlete to run a sub-1:44 800m.

Conor Kelly will compete in the Mixed 4x400m Relay and also comes into the competition in red-hot form after his Gold medal performance in the 400m at the European Under-20s in Tampere, Finland, earlier this month.

The 18-year-old won by over six tenths of a second to take the gold as he finished in 45.83 seconds - a new national U-20 record and Donegal record.

Kelly, along with Cillín Greene, Rhasidat Adeleke, and Sharlene Mawdsley, finished second in 3:11.37 behind the USA in their heat at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium in Guangzhou, China in May.

Kelly is one of three men, along with Greene and Jack Raftery, who will travel as part of that team, while Ciaran Carthy is named as a non-travelling reserve.

Adeleke however will be a huge loss to the team as she misses out through injury, preventing her from competing in the 400m, the 4x400m Mixed Relay, and the Women’s 4x400m Relay.

Meanwhile, Erin Friel has been named as a non-travelling reserve for the Women’s 4x400m Relay team.

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The Letterkenny AC athlete, who only turned 17 earlier this year, won a bronze medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Macedonia, clocking a Personal Best of 54.02.

The Women’s 4x400m team, headed by Olympians Mawdsley and Sophie Becker, will travel as a team of six, with Rachel McCann, Cliodhna Manning, Michelle Duggan, and Jenna Breen travelling.