Five Athletes Named in Irish Athletics Olympic Team, part of Galvin Sports Management Roster

Five athletes named in the Irish athletics team for the Tokyo Olympic Games are part of Galvin Sports Management (GSM) roster. GSM was founded in 2016 by Sinéad Galvin after the Rio Olympic Games to support athletes to build their personal brand and manage their off track commercial opportunities. Thomas Barr (400m Hurdles) was Galvin’s first client and is set to become a two time Olympians after being named as part of Irish athletics team as well as Ciara Mageean (1500m), both competed in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

All photos from Galvin Sports Management

Nadia Power (800m) and Phil Healy 200m, 400m and 4x400m mixed relay

Nadia Power, right, and Phil Healy during a Tokyo Team Ireland Announcement for Athletics Track and Field at the Sport Ireland Conference Centre in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***

Thomas Barr has shown great form this year running his fastest time outside of a championship with 48.39 in June. This is the third fastest time by a European this year behind World record holder Karsten Warholm (Norway) and Yasmani Copello (Turkey). The Waterford man is currently placed ninth in the world rankings. At the 2016 Olympic Games, Barr produced a lifetime best performance of 47.97 to finish fourth in the final.

Mageean missed out on an Olympic final spot in 2016. However in 2019 she not only made the final at the World Athletics Championships, but she also recorded an impressive personal best of 4:00.15 to place 10th overall. In 2020 she followed this up by setting two Irish records; 800 Metres (1:59.69) and 1000 Metres (2:31.06). This year she recorded a season best of 4:04.32 for the 1500m at the Florence Diamond League. The Portaferry woman is set to race in the 1500m at the Diamond League in Monaco this Friday in a world class field.

Sophie Becker mixed relay squad.

Thomas Barr (400m Hurdles)

First time Olympian Phil Healy has set history by becoming the first Irish athlete to be selected in three events: the 200m, 400m and 4x400m mixed relay. The last time an Irish female lined up in two individual sprint events was in 1956 when the trail blazer Maeve Kyle competed in the 100m and 200m at the 1956 Melbourne (AUS) Olympic Games. Healy set a new personal best of 51.50 in the 400m in Belfast this year improving on the 51.94 she ran when placing fourth at the European Indoor Athletics Championships. She matched this with a blistering 200m of 22.83 to win the National championship which was just over the allowed wind limit for it to stand as a new Irish record.

Ciara Mageean (1500m)

The newest member of Team GSM, Sophie Becker has also been named in the mixed relay squad. Becker has had a breakthrough season in 2021 setting a personal best of 52.32at the Belfast Milers meet, the fifth fastest time ever by an Irish woman and the second fastest by an Irish woman this year. She followed this up by running 52.74 in the Czech Republic. Becker is the first athlete from Wexford in 25 years to make an Irish Olympic Team. Jimmy McDonald was the last when he competed in the 20km Walk in the 1996 at the Atlanta (USA) Olympic Games.

Nadia Power secured a qualification spot after a super indoor season which was backed up by strong outdoor performance. Her season’s best of 2:01.42 is her second fastest outdoor time which she ran at the Genève meet.

They will join the already named members of Team Ireland, Rhys McClenaghan (Gymnastics) and Ollie Dingley (Diving) who are also part of the Galvin Sports Management roster.