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Stellar week for UCD Athletics Club at World Athletics Championships

23 September 2025


Cian McPhillips finishing in fourth place in the 800m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, producing a new national record with a time of 1:42.15

UCD Athletics Club left its mark on this year’s World Athletics Championships, with three members reaching the finals in Tokyo.

UCD Maths student and AC middle-distance runner Cian McPhillips became the first Irish man to qualify for a world outdoor 800m final.

The 23-year-old finished in fourth place, producing a new national record in the final with a time of 1:42.15.

It took three Olympic medallists – Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati and Canada’s Marco Arop – to beat him.

In qualifying for the final, McPhillips beat former UCD AC runner Mark English’s national record.

A graduate of UCD, English ran the men’s 800m semi-final to finish third in 1:45.47.

Speaking to RTÉ Sports after the race, McPhillips said it would "have been nice to get a medal but we'll leave that for next time".

"I've taken another second off my PB. It's frustrating at the moment, but when I calm down I'll probably appreciate what I've done a bit more.

"That was not far off the full Olympic final [lineup] there. That was only 12 months ago. And a lot of them are on the all-time list as well, in the top 10. So mixing it with those guys, it's a big push on."

Reflecting further on how the race, he added: "I had to bide my time there at the end. I just kind of ran out of real estate.

"In my first World Champs, winning the heats, winning the semis, fourth overall, probably legs a bit tired from the semi, but even my national record, massive PB opens a lot of doors next year.

"A lot of people have put a lot of work into me over the last few years, so it's starting to pay off. Not there yet, but huge progress. It makes me basically pretty optimistic for next year."

Elsewhere at the World Athletics Championships, UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Nicola Tuthill finished 11th in the world in the Women’s Hammer Throw final.

The 21-year-old finished with a best of 69.49 metres, after breaking new ground with her 70.70m mark in the qualifying pool on Sunday.

A rising star in Irish field events, Tuthill made her Olympic debut in the hammer at the 2024 Paris Games, and is only the third female Irish thrower to become an Olympian.

Named UCD’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2025, Tuthill is also Ireland’s first ever gold medal winner at the European Throwing Cup.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, former UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Sarah Healy finished 10th in the final of the Women’s 1500m.

Competing in her first world outdoor final, the 24-year-old crossed the line with a time of 3:59.14. The race was won by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.

The Dubliner has had a hugely successful year so far, having won the European indoor 3000m gold in March and her first Diamond League in Rome in June.

The Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholarship programme at University College Dublin supports students who are competing and succeeding at the highest sporting levels. It is the University’s flagship scholarship programme.

By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie

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