Kildare AC's John Fitzsimons off to World Athletics Championships

Athletics Ireland recently announced a squad of 23 athletes for the upcoming World Athletics Champion-
ships in Budapest.

The Ireland squad is the largest ever selected for a World Championships and will see the 23 strong team head to the Championships from August 19 to 27.

Among the 23 members is Kildare Athletic Club’s John Fitzsimons who has qualified to head to Budapest later this month in the 800m event after a superb 2023.

Fitzsimons joins an Ireland squad that will take on competition from over 2,000 other athletes from 200 countries at the brand new 35,000 capacity National Athletics Stadium in Budapest.

But before that, he and many of the team are heading to a training camp outside Bratislava for 10 days before arriving in the Hungarian capital for the global athletics event.

“My last race was Nationals, I had a three-week training block between Nationals and worlds. Not too many intense sessions really, just keeping the engine running fitness wise and keeping on top of the speed stuff.

“I had a hard enough session today, race pace stuff and I’ll have another over at the camp (in Bratislava). After that you are just over a week out so you are recovering and keeping on top of things and taking it pretty easy,” Fitzsimons said.

It is the Kildare AC runner’s first World Championship qualification and while he may be now focused on recovery, he has had to put in serious leg work this year to get there.

“There are two ways to qualify, you can run a qualifying standard, which is a time, or you can qualify through your world ranking. I qualified through my world ranking, which is based on your top five races in the past 12 months,” Fitzsimons explained.

“I have been racing a lot on the European circuit just trying to pick up some good ranking points and races on the continental tour. Your placing, your time and the kind of permit of the meet count towards your score so you have to get into bigger races and once you are there run well. And run fast.”

After hitting tracks across the continent this calendar year, Fizsimons earned his spot for his first Championships and can now focus on building towards giving a good account of his abilities on the world stage.

“It was the big goal at the start of the year (to be selected), especially when you get back training. You think if things go to plan and you stay healthy you will be going to Worlds but it’s very easy for something to go wrong along the way,” Fitzsimons said.

“I am really happy to be going, it's my first Worlds team so it means a lot. I am really excited now and I am going over in really good shape which makes it all the better. I can compete quite well over there hopefully, once I get the best out of myself, I don’t care where I come and what round I get into or don’t. I am in the shape to run well and if I run well I’ll be happy enough.”

Fitzsimons will be representing Ireland of course but also, closer to home there will be a massive pride in appearing on behalf of Kildare AC, a club that is ingrained within his family.

“My mam is a coach in the club, my grandad (dad’s side) was one of the founders of the club. I am a Kildare AC man through and through and I’m pretty sure I am the first athlete to get to a World Championships so it’s really good for the club and I am really excited to go and represent Kildare on the world stage,” he explained.

Adding, “My other grandfather was the club's most successful athlete, he was a 2:16:00 marathoner back in the '70s or '80s, which was rapid at the time. They were running in plimsolls back then. Mam and Dad ran, my auntie ran, uncle ran, it’s just really nice to be going so well and even more so when the whole family kind of appreciates it as well.

“I have a cousin in America as well who is running really well, he’s an 800m guy too, he was fifth in the NCAAs this year which is no mean feat. He’ll be keeping on my toes anyways from a family point of view, nevermind the rest.”

The Kildare man and his coach Joe Ryan are currently preparing for the biggest race of his life in the 800m World Championship heats, which commence on Tuesday evening (local) on August 22.