Some priorities shifted even before the Irish medal winners returned home from Sunday’s European Cross-Country in Portugal. Once the annual highlight of the season, the World Cross-Country Championships have been staged biennially since 2011, with the next edition set for Tallahassee in Florida on January 10th. Irish interest, like many other European countries, has waned in recent years, although the medal success in Portugal has renewed hope and expectations. Ireland haven’t won a medal of any colour at the World Cross-Country since hosting the event in Leopardstown in 2002 (one year later than planned due to foot-and-mouth disease). A medal of any colour in Tallahassee may be a long shot, but hopes are nonetheless renewed after Portugal.

Source: The Irish Times December 16, 2025 15:03 UTC