Louth athlete Allen impresses at European U20 Championships

Saint Peter’s AC, Dundalk, athlete Dearbhla Allen was on duty last weekend on the international stage when she took her place on the start line in the European Under 20 track and field championships in Tampere, Finland.

Although Dearbhla had previously represented Ireland on six occasions, this was her first experience at a major Championship.

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Dearbhla’s target for the championship was to make it through her heat and qualify for the final of her event, the U20 women’s 3000M Steeplechase.

Her heat was on Friday morning, and if her support team had any fears of nerves affecting her performance, they were soon put to bed as Dearbhla got a brilliant start and followed hot on the heels of the lead athlete to stay in second position for most of the race.

In the closing stages, some athletes passed her out, but she dug deep to qualify for the final. The final, surprisingly, was the following day, which was a short turn around but Dearbhla took her place on the start line and again showed tremendous bravery and put herself right in the mix.

As the last few laps came, the pace increased in the baking sunshine, and this tremendously brave athlete hung on as best she could up against the very best in Europe.

Dearbhla managed to finish in 11th place in the final following her sixth-place finish in the heat. All in all, she looks back on her debut major international championship with pride as she went toe to toe with the best in Europe and didn’t look out of place.

She can look back on her track and field season with a huge sense of accomplishment, winning three national titles and making the European U20 final, a fantastic season and at an age group that she is eligible for again in 2026.