Baring any protests or unforeseen circumstances, Eilish Flanagan secured her ticket to Tokyo with a 9:42.71 time in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in Lucerne, Switzerland. An Adams State University track and cross-country star, Flanagan will represent Ireland at this summer’s Olympic Games in Japan. She is one of 26 Irish athletes to qualify for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in track and field and qualified through rankings.
At Adams State, Flanagan was on the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country championship team, finishing second in the 6,000-meter race. Throughout her academic career, she has brought home top medals. Most recently, in 2021, she finished first in the 1,500-meter at the CSU Pueblo Spank Blasing Open at 4:23.42; set a new NCAA Division II record at the Oregon Twilight in the 3,000-meter steeple with a time of 9:40.68; and won the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship in the 3,000-meter steeple at 9:57.44. She also took second in the 5,000-meter with a time of 15:50.59.