Ireland's History at the World Championships

Pisco Sour

Does anybody have a detailed list of all Irish people who have finished in the top 8 in the World Championships since 1983?

Pherekydes

This is what I've found trawling through the IAAF's results. Not sure if I've got them all though.

Name Year Event Placing
Eamon Coghlan 1983 5000m 1
Regina Joyce 1983 Marathon 7
Sonia O'Sullivan 1993 1500m 2
Sonia O'Sullivan 1993 3000m 4
Nick Sweeney 1993 Discus 6
Sonia O'Sullivan 1995 5000m 1
Sonia O'Sullivan 1997 1500m 8
Susan Smith 1997 400mH 7
Brendan Reilly 1999 High Jump 8
Gillian O'Sullivan 2003 20kW 2
Eileen O'Keeffe 2007 Hammer 6
Robert Heffernan 2007 20kW 6
Olive Loughnane 2009 20kW 2
David Gillick 2009 400m 6
Derval O'Rourke 2009 100mH 4

TheRoadRunner

Based on your table this has been our best champs to date in my opinion. It has taken a poxy recession to make us competitive again

RealistSpy

Also for a very small country its a brilliant year!

Pisco Sour

Thanks for that list. Though I do remember Brendan Reilly coming joint 8th in the 1999 High Jump??

Pherekydes

04072511 wrote: »

Thanks for that list. Though I do remember Brendan Reilly coming joint 8th in the 1999 High Jump??

Thanks for that. I would have been surprised if I'd got them all. I edited the original table. Anyone else think of any more?

Pisco Sour

So the breakdown of top 8 placings from the above table is:

Sprints: 3
Distance: 6
Jumps: 1
Walks: 3
Throws: 2

Pisco Sour

Taking 1st place as 8 points, 2nd as 7 points, 3rd as 6 points and so on here is a ranking of our most successful championships:

1993: 15
2009: 15
1983: 10
1995: 8
2003: 7
2007: 4
1997: 3
1999: 1
1987: 0
1991: 0
2001: 0
2005: 0

Pisco Sour

Pherekydes wrote: »

Name Year Event Placing
Eamon Coghlan 1983 5000m 1
Regina Joyce 1983 Marathon 7
Sonia O'Sullivan 1993 1500m 2
Sonia O'Sullivan 1993 3000m 4
Nick Sweeney 1993 Discus 6
Sonia O'Sullivan 1995 5000m 1
Sonia O'Sullivan 1997 1500m 8
Susan Smith 1997 400mH 7
Brendan Reilly 1999 High Jump 8
Gillian O'Sullivan 2003 20kW 2
Eileen O'Keeffe 2007 Hammer 6
Robert Heffernan 2007 20kW 6
Olive Loughnane 2009 20kW 2
David Gillick 2009 400m 6
Derval O'Rourke 2009 100mH 4
Deirdre Ryan 2011 High Jump 6

Thought I'd update this table and add in Deirdre Ryan's outstanding performance in Daegu last week.

Pherekydes

1993: 15
2009: 15
1983: 10
1995: 8
2003: 7
2007: 4
1997: 3
2011: 3
1999: 1
1987: 0
1991: 0
2001: 0
2005: 0

Likewise updated.

ecoli

Pherekydes wrote: »

1993: 15
2009: 15
1983: 10
1995: 8
2003: 7
2007: 4
1997: 3
2011: 3
1999: 1
1987: 0
1991: 0
2001: 0
2005: 0

Likewise updated.

While the 90s look more successful with Sonia's exploits we have actually had more representatives in the last decade that we did in the 90s. I guess this shows the countries progress rather than regression which comes across to the general public

Pisco Sour

ecoli wrote: »

While the 90s look more successful with Sonia's exploits we have actually had more representatives in the last decade that we did in the 90s. I guess this shows the countries progress rather than regression which comes across to the general public

Yes, this table doesnt tell the full story. If we could compile a list of all Top 16 performances (would take forever), you may get a few different results. Osaka 2007 was actually a great championships for Ireland, with approximately 8 (maybe 9) athletes ranking in the top 16 of their events. Berlin 2009, we had just 5 in the top 16, but 4 were in the top 10, and 3 of these in the top 6.

This year, while we've only had one top 8 finish, we have had 6 top 16 performances (Ryan, O'Lionaird, 4x400m Relay, Cragg, Loughnane, Britton). This number would have been 8 but for some bad fortune for Derval O'Rourke, and a false start for Joanne Cuddihy, denying herself a chance of a high finish (given the fact she went sub 50 split in the relay, I reckon she could have got close to her NR in the semi final).

We have a lot of depth now, something that we didn't have as much of in the 90's.

notsofast

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Based on your table this has been our best champs to date in my opinion.

Don't see how?

Pherekydes

notsofast wrote: »

Don't see how?

He posted that in 2009 after the Berlin WC.

notsofast

Apologies:o I assumed this was a new thread.