Morton Games International Programme Confirmed

Morton Games takes place in the Morton Stadium, Dublin, on Friday, July 10. The meet is a World Athletics Continental tour bronze meet and is a World Athletics ranking meet carrying category C points.

The international programme for this year's meet can now be confirmed as follows:

Women : mixed classification para 100, 400, 800, 1500, 100 hurdles, high jump, hammer throw.

Men: 100, 400, 800, the Morton mile, Albie Thomas 5000, shot.

The meet will also as usual include a pre-programme featuring: juvenile relays, U/20 men and women's miles, national mixed classification para 100 and men's U/23 100. Further details will follow.

Spectator tickets for this year's meet will go on sale online in the spring.

Keep an eye on mortongames.ie for updates

Comerford for Morton International Women’s Para 100

Morton Games is proud to confirm the inclusion in the 2026 meet on July 10 of an international mixed classification para women’s 100, this is a first for Morton Games. The organisors have also confirmed the participation of Ireland’s double world champion Orla Comerford (Raheny Shamrock).

Comerford who competes in the T13 classification has represented Ireland at three successive Paralympics, 2016, 2020 and 2024, taking 100 bronze in Paris. At last year’s World Championships in New Delhi she elevated herself to new heights winning gold in both the 100 and 200.

Also confirmed is Ireland’s other top-class para sprinter, Lana Sutton (UCD AC). The T38 Brighton based sprinter made an eye catching international debut at those New Delhi World Championships reaching the final in both the 100 and 200.

Morton Games is both a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meet and World Para Athletics approved meet. International para athletes interested in competing are requested to email the meet director with their details:  mortongames@hotmail.com

Women’s Hammer coming to Morton Games

The Morton Games organisers have announced a change to the 2026 programme of events with the inclusion now of an International Women’s Hammer Throw replacing  the Women’s Discus Throw.

This will be a first for Morton Games, although the precursor to the current Morton Games, the Morton Memorial Meet of 2008 did include a women’s hammer which was won by the then world champion Betty Heidler (GER).

The early indications are that July 10 will see athletes of a similar calibre to Heidler gracing the Morton Stadium hammer circle and that being so the stadium of 73.21 standing to Ireland’s Eileen O’Keeffe from 2007 will be under serious threat.

Athletes/Agents interested are requested to contact the meet director by email mortongames@hotmail.com

McPhillips' 800 is the Athletics Ireland Inspirational Award winner

Cian McPhillips’ win in the DCU 800 at this summer’s Morton Games received the ‘inspirational performance on Irish soil’ award at yesterday’s, November 26, annual Athletics Ireland awards lunch held at the Crown Plaza hotel in Santry.

McPhillips won the 800 at this summer’s World Athletics Continental tour meet in Morton Stadium from a top-class field, his winning time of 1.44.19 was not only a meet and Stadium record but was the qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships. It proved to be the platform from which McPhillips launched himself onto the world stage. In Tokyo he won his 800 heat and semi-final and in the final was a fraction off the podium placing 4th setting an Irish record of 1.42.15 becoming the 1st Irish man to run sub- 1.43.

This is the second successive year that the performance of an Irish athlete at Morton Games has received the inspirational award following on the heels of Cathal Doyle’s 2024 Morton mile victory.

Morton Games congratulates Cian and looks forward to more inspirational performances at Morton Games on July 10, 2026.

Morton Games confirmed for July 10th 2026

Morton Games is delighted to announce the confirmed date for the next edition of Morton Games, World Athletics Continental tour (bronze) : Friday, July 10 at the Morton Stadium, Dublin.

The meet will include all the events which provided such outstanding entertainment and excitement in the summer of 2025, a meet which saw four new Stadium records set before a record attendance.

A new men’s 400 record was set by Argentina’s Elian Larregina of 45.09, in the women’s 1500 a massive 4 second Stadium record of 4.00.71 was set by Galbija Galvydyte of Lithuania as both she and second-place finisher Gabriela DeBues-Stafford (CAN) also hit the world qualifying mark for Tokyo. A feat also achieved by Ireland’s Cian McPhillips in the 800 as he clocked 1.44.19. McPhillips subsequently went on to have a magnificent series of races at the world Championships in Tokyo where he set two new Irish records and finished in an outstanding 4th position in the 800 final.

Then in the fabled Morton Mile Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran, took his 2nd Morton mile win and in the process consigned Will Leer’s 2014 mark to the history books as he set a new meet and Stadium record of 3.51.12.

The international programme will include the following events:

Women – 100 hurdles, 400, 800, 1500, high jump, discus.

Men – 100, 400, 800, Morton mile, Albie Thomas 5000, shot.

Further details of the meet will issue over the coming months. In the meantime note the date and we look forward to welcoming you back to another Morton magical night.

Morton Games 2025 ranked 21st Bronze

This year’s Morton Games, which took place on the 11 of July at Morton Stadium has received its highest ever ranking on the World Athletics Continental Tour. World Athletics rankings show Morton Games as the 21st bronze level World Athletics Continental Tour meet.

Equally impressive is the overall performance rankings by score of all World Athletics Continental Tour meets, (gold, silver, bronze and challenger) with Morton Games sitting in 57th position.

Andrew Coscoran’s Morton mile win in a new stadium record of 3.51.12 was the fastest mile in any WACT bronze meet in 2025.

Whilst the organisers are delighted with this news, rust never sleeps and planning is already well underway for 2026 and the continued upward trajectory of Morton Games. The next Morton Games will take place on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Morton Stadium, Dublin. Further details will be released early in the New Year, athletes and fans alike can look forward to another magical night climaxing with the storied Morton mile.

Thank you from the Meet Director

As meet director of Morton Games I want to sincerely thank every single member of the Morton Games team for their support and hard work in delivering arguably the best Morton Games to date on Friday, July 11.

The feedback from athletes and athletes’ agents has been quite staggering in their praise and appreciation for how they were looked after and the welcome they received from all whom they interacted with. That applies to everyone from the meet and greet team at Dublin airport, the hotel team, the admissions team, check-in and call room teams, all of our club members on duty during the course of the meet, from starts and blocks teams right through to the mixed zone. I want to thank every single member of those teams and I also want to thank the teams of the stewards who work throughout the course of the evening, the teams involved in the stadium set up and logistics and of course in the thankless task of disassembling and the breakup post meet. Those involved on the guest and presentation teams, catering, water teams, basket teams, the list goes on and on.

I also want to acknowledge the huge amount of work put in by those involved in the pre-programme, those wonderful U/20 mile races and juvenile relays are a huge part of what Morton Games is all about inspiring young athletes to believe that dreams are made and that they too will someday compete as a star of Morton Games.

It was really an amazing site to see so many Clonliffe Harriers involved and across the whole spectrum of the club, from the young athletes looking after baskets right through to the more mature athletes doing their bit. The team work on display is testament to you, the members of this wonderful club of ours, and the pride you have in our club and in Morton Games. Every single one of you played a much bigger role than you may think in this wonderful event.

Can I also thank the meet officials from Athletics Ireland who gave so willingly of their time and expertise in delivering a wonderful night’s track and field and the management and staff at Morton Stadium for all their hard work in preparing the Stadium and for their support.

As meet director I also want to acknowledge and thank our sponsors: UPMC Sports Surgery Clinic, Aviva, Dublin Athletics, Bon Secours Hospital Dublin, Loki Sports, Athletics Leinster, Davy, Jerry Kiernan Foundation, Irish life Dublin Marathon, Fashionflo, HyGo Water, Whiteford Geo Services, Last Lap Cafe, Donnelly Fresh, FBD, John Buckley Sports, The Clonliffe Harriers Grand Prix Series and the Friends of Morton Games. Our partners: Athletics Ireland, Dublin City University, Fingal, Sport Ireland, European Athletics, Paralympics Ireland and our charity partner Sanctuary Runners and of course Clonliffe Harriers AC.

Finally I want to thank all the athletes, our 2025 Morton Gamers, for making this such a memorable occasion from start to finish, from the U/10 mixed relay teams right up to the Morton mile itself, you all played a huge role in putting on an incredible show.

So on my own behalf and on behalf of the Morton Games LOC thank you sincerely for everything that you did, it is appreciated beyond words.

Noel Guiden, Meet Director.

Morton Games in dreamland

Friday night’s Morton Games delivered it all: the most amazing weather, a record attendance, four Stadium records, two world championship qualifiers, four Irish wins, PBs galore and 13 sub- 4 Morton miles.

Pre programme:

the U/10 mixed 4 x 200 relay got the night’s action underway, followed in quick succession by relays over the same distance for U/12, U/14 and U/16.Clongriffen AC with wins in the U/16, U/12 and 3rd place in U/10 were the dominant club. The unique 16 x 100 relay produced thrills and spills with an extraordinary 192 athletes spread over the 12 competing teams, it was Mullingar Harriers who took the win followed by Clongriffin AC and Dunboyne AC.  Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers) was the winner of the Jerry Kiernan Foundation women’s U/20 mile with Lorcan Benjacar (Clonliffe Harriers)  producing the kick to win men’s equivalent (4.17.20).

Main program:

It was 9 time Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft winning the T34/T54 women’s 800 in 1.50.94 that got the main program underway, after that it was one event after another as Morton Games thundered along with highlight after highlight until that breathtaking Morton mile finale.

Highlights included Israel Olatunde with a brilliant Irish win in the men’s 100, sponsored by Athletics Leinster, in a time of 10.20 really getting the crowd up on their feet. Then there was the Irish performance of the night coming in the DCU men’s 800. Coming down the home straight Poland’s Maciej Wyderka held the lead being caught at a rate of knots by Cian McPhillip who powered past to take the win for Ireland in a new PB, meet record, Stadium record and world championship qualifier of 1.44.19.

The stadium announcer’s introduction to the crowd of Sharlene Mawdsley on the start line of the Bon Secours Hospital Dublin women’s 400 brought a huge cheer from the estimated attendance of some 3500 sun drenched athletics fans. Mawdsley was inspired producing a superb run and displaying great strength over the final 80m to hold off the challengers to win in a new meet record of 51.61.

Returning 2023 Loki Sports 400 champion Elian Larregina of Argentina obliterated the meet and Stadium record as he scorched around the blue Mondo surface in 45.09 in what was one of the deepest 400 fields gathered, with 4 athletes breaking the 46 second barrier, including 4th place finisher Conor Kelly who set a new Irish U/20 record of 45.85.

Likewise the deep fields gathered for the Aviva women’s 1500 resulted in a brilliant fast race with 4 athletes all dipping under the existing Stadium record, as Lithuania’s Gabija Galvydyte ran an extraordinary 4.00.71, not only a meet and Stadium record but a world championship qualifying time. Gabriela DeBues-Stafford (Canada) took 2nd place in a season’s best of 4.01.19 with European 10,000 silver medallist Diane Van Es 3rd in a PB of 4.02.97.

Then all of a sudden it was UPMS SSC Morton mile time! It was an absolute corker. With the pacemaker doing a superb job the field was strung out in single file, as the pacer pulled off at 900 it was defending champion Cathal Doyle who found himself now the de facto pacemaker. On the back straight for the final time 2022 Morton mile champion Andrew Coscoran made his move, it looked like Doyle was beaten but once again they were toe to toe down the final straight. It was Coscoran who took the day winning in a lightning fast 3.51.12, a meet and Stadium record, wiping Will Leer’s 2014 record from the books. Doyle ran a PB of 3.51.26 as 5 Irish athletes took the top places. 3rd Darragh McElhinney in a huge PB of 3.51.99, 4th Nick Griggs, a Northern Ireland record of 3.52.42 and Brian Fay 5th, 3.52.98. 13 of the 14 finishers clocked sub- 4 minute miles.

The field events produce superb competition, the Whiteford Geo Services men’s shot, now positioned right in front of the main stand, was a brilliant competition which was won by New Zealand visitor Nick Palmer in a new PB of 20.20, Ireland’s Eric Favors was 2nd with a 19.75 best and Poland’s Szymon Mazur 3rd with 19.32. Fedra Fekete (HUN) won the HyGo Women’s High Jump with an excellent 1.88m, also a PB and Germany’s Antonia Kinzel successfully defended her discus title winning with a best of 58.78.

Other winners: Laura Pellicoro (ITA) winning the Dublin Marathon sponsored women’s 800 (2.01.33), Uruguay’s Valentin Soca won the Albie Thomas 5000, sponsored by Dublin Athletics and the Albie Thomas family, in a time of 13.18.88 and Estonia’s Diana Suumann won the Davy 100 hurdles (13.11).

The Irish Athlete of the meet, sponsored by the Jerry Kiernan Foundation was Cian McPhillips.

Morton Games was a night when dreams where indeed made!

Morton Games would like to thank all our partners, sponsors and supporters, the huge attendance on the night which resulted in a brilliant atmosphere and the brilliant athletes for putting on such a show and in particular for being so giving of their time to sign hundreds and hundreds of autographs.

We look forward to welcoming you all back to Morton Games in July 2026.

A night to savour

Photo of Cathal Doyle courtesy of Mark Kavanagh

Last night’s Morton Games was arguably the best to date.  Perfect weather, a big enthusiastic crowd, rocking atmosphere and brilliant competition. The night produced 5 Stadium records, an Irish U/23 record, 13 sub- four-minute miles and a home win in the iconic Morton Mile.

Pre Program:

The meet started with the now staple of juvenile 4 x 200 mixed relays featuring clubs from the Dublin area. The U/10 race was won by Clonliffe Harriers, in the U/12 it was MSB and after this it was the Ratoath AC domination that took over with convincing wins in both the U/14 and U/16 races. Then it was the turn of the unique 16 x 100 relay, featuring an incredible 176 young athletes in the age groups U/10 to U/16 racing for 11 club teams and again it was Ratoath that topped the charts with a convincing win by all of 9 seconds in a time of 3.50.39.

There was an excellent race in the Jerry Kiernan Foundation women’s U/20 mile with Gemma Galvin (Ennis TC) winning a time of 4.53.73 from Eimear McCarroll (Finn Valley) in 2nd leading home the foster family – Lucy, 3rd, Kirsti 4th and Jodi 5th.

Sean Cronin successfully retained the Frank Murphy cup in the Jerry Kiernan Foundation men’s U/20 mile in a more tactical race in a time of 4.21.26, chased all the way home by Clonliffe clubmate Lorcan Benjacar 2nd and Jamie Byrne (DSD) 3rd.

Main program:

In the field events there were two superb throws competitions featuring world-class athletes. The men’s shot put, sponsored by Whiteford Geo Services, was simply superb as the existing Stadium record took a hammering. In round 2 Jordan Geist (USA) bettered the record to 21.64, he then extended that to 21.88 in round 4 and in the final round of the competition he threw a PB of 22.25, a Stadium record, meet record and Irish allcomers record. Chuk Enekwechi (Nigeria) also bettered the pre-competition Stadium record 3 times as he finished 2nd with a best of 21.52, Sweden’s Wictor Patterson finished 3rd with a best of 20.12.

At the same time the women’s discus competition sponsored by Last Lap Café,  was running and again a brilliant competition which was won by Antonia Kinzel (GER), the world University champion, with a best of 59.12 which was a Morton games meet record. Jade Lally (GBR) on her 2nd visit to Morton Games placed 2nd with a best of 57.10 with Annesofie Hartmann Nielsen (DEN) taking 3rd with a best of 56.46.

Defending champion Urte Baikstyte (LTH) made a successful defence of her title winning the HyGo women’s high jump with a best of 1.86 from Una Stancev (ESP) 1.84 and Fedra Fekete (HUN), 1.81.

It was the inter-varsity Swedish mixed relay, sponsored by Decathlon the got the main track programme underway, it was a very exciting relay with DCU team of Niamh O’Neill, Ciaran Carthy, Jack Kelly and Caoimhe Cronin retaining the title in a time of 2.05.86 from University of Limerick and the DCU yellow team.

There were 2 Athletics Leinster men’s 100 races. Race 1 saw Timo Spiering (NED) win in a time of 10.61, with Irish pairing Paul Costello 2nd 10.66 and Runo Ayavoro 3rd 10.81. The eagerly awaited race 2 was an absolute cracker with Coby Hilton (USA) and JT Smith (USA) recording identical times of 10.30 and only separated by photo finish. Earl Simmonds (St. Vincent) took 3rd 10.36.

As expected Sarah Lavin lit up the arena bring the crowd to its feet in the Davy women’s 100 hurdles, on her last race on Irish soil before the Paris Olympic Games, with this year’s race producing the same one two as 2023, Sarah Lavin winning in 12.82 as once again Ebony Morrison (LBR) 12.92. 3rd place went to Talie Bonds (USA).

There a British One Two in the Loki Sports men’s 400, Alex Haydock-Wilson taking a fine win in a time of 45.54 from Sam Reardon 45.99 and Ireland’s Jack Raftery 46.44.

The meet at this stage switched to the 800s. First was the Irish life Dublin Marathon sponsored women’s events. The pacemaker did an excellent job setting the field up nicely for a sub- 2 minute race. Down the home straight it was an American battle where McKenna Keegan prevailed in a time of 1.59.82 from Paris bound Allie Wilson 2.00.48 and Ireland’s Louise Shanahan taking 3rd in a season’s best of 2.00.92.

There was then a simply extraordinary DCU men’s 800, fireworks were always expected in this race take into account the calibre of the field known predicted that a two second winning margin could possibly produce a new Stadium record. Edmund Du Plesis (RSA) had sat in behind the pacemaker and once the pacer pulled over he went even faster, hitting the top bend he had an unsurpassable lead, he did not in any way ease off but drove right through the line to demolish the Stadium record with a time of 1.44.22 which was also an Irish all comers record. Nathan Green (USA), who on Tuesday had won the Cork City mile clocked a new PB of 1.46.23 to take 2nd place with Britain’s Finley McLear 3rd 1.46.42.

The Albie Thomas men’s 5000, sponsored by Dublin Athletics and the Albie Thomas family, was once again a highlight of a night of highlights., Again it must be said the pacemaking was excellent as they hit the 3000 mark in 8.00 or thereabouts, it was the Kenyan pairing of Amos Langat and Matthew Kipkoech that led front, driving on the pace even more with Ireland’s Nick Griggs sitting, and it must be said looking very comfortable, on their shoulders. At 600 to go it was down to Langat and Griggs, it was some battle over the last Lap with the Kenyan winning, and shattering the existing Stadium record by 7 seconds to win in a new allcomers record 13.12.44. Griggs was rewarded for his bravery with a huge PB of 13.13.07 which was a new Irish U/23 record. Kipkeoch was 3rd in 13.18.4, Norwegian Per Svela also bettered the Stadium record take 4th place in 13.18.61.

The Bon Secours Hospital Dublin women’s 200 produced a lightning fast performance from South African Chane Vermeulen that produced a new Morton Games meet record – 23.19. Vermeulen was challenged off the final bend by Kristie Edwards (AUS), now becoming a Morton Games regular, however the South African pulled clear over the closing 50m, Edwards held 2nd position clocking up 23.49 with Lauren Rain James (USA) also breaking the 24 second barrier as she finished 3rd in 23.64.

Next up it was the men’s international invitational 4 x 100 relay, an event which had been put together and included in the programme to assist team Australia with their Paris Olympics preparations. It was the Australian team that really produced the goods as yet another Stadium and allcomers record was set that a blistering 38.98. The Irish selection finished 2nd and Irish U/20s 3rd.

With 2 races to go and as twilight started to set in still the magic still went on. The weather gods remained content, and although there had been some threatening rain clouds they passed over Santry without so much as a drop falling. It was then the athletes in the Fashionflo women’s 1500 who were sent underway by the starters gun. Again the pacemaker did an outstanding job taking the field to 800 in 2.10. The field continued their pursuit of the stadium record set by Sonia O’Sullivan on 12 June 1994 standing at 4.05.75. With 300 to go it was between Shannon Flockhart (GBR), Laura Nagel (NZL) and Nancy Cherop (KEN) at this stage, having been very much out of contention, Sophie O’Sullivan hit top gear to close on the lead trio dramatically, coming off the top bend O’Sullivan was right in it roared on by the crowd, Lockhart took the win in a new Morton Stadium record 4.04.98 with O’Sullivan 2nd 4.05.77, within 2 hundredths of a second of her mother’s record, and the young Kenyan 3rd place 4.06.04.

Finally at 9.00pm the Morton milers were led onto the track for the meet climax. They were introduced by the stadium announcer to an appreciative excited crowd for the 2024 Morton mile (sponsored by Behan & Associates, and Commercial Hygiene Services). With once again excellent pacemaking the field was quickly strung out in a long line, at the bell it was clear that this was going to be one of the fastest ever Morton miles, hitting the final bend it was 2018 Morton mile Champion Sam Prakle (USA) who struck first and it looked to be his race. Cathal Doyle had the support of the entire stadium and with his confidence skyhigh as a result of brilliant performances on the circuit of late, winning his 3rd national 1500 title and the small matter of Olympic selection, and he tore after Prakle with Brian Fay unleashing his dramatic finishing kick, it was Doyle who hit the front with maybe 50 to go to take a famous win for the organising club Clonliffe Harriers and to become the 1st Clonliffe Harrier winner of the Morton mile since Niall Bruton 25 years ago. Doyle’s winning in 3.52.06, the 2nd fastest winning time in history, Prakle was 2nd 3.52.32 with Fay 3rd, 3.52.41. There were PB’s throughout the field with a notable first sub- 4 by Cillian Kirwan, 3.58.83 as 13 sub fours were recorded.

And so with that a magical night of athletics came to an end. A sincere thank you to our partners, sponsors, supporters, all who came to Morton Stadium and of course to all the 2024 Morton Gamers.

Link to results: http://live.athleticsireland.ie/Morton/menu.html