Ciara Neville Aims for Personal Best at World Indoor Championships

Ciara Neville will compete in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, on Saturday, marking a significant moment in her athletic career as she closes a challenging chapter.

A Return to Form After Injury

Neville’s return to the international stage is particularly poignant, as the 2026 World Indoor Championships take place in the same stadium where she last competed individually for Ireland, at the 2021 European Indoor Championships. A serious hamstring injury sustained in the summer of 2021 threatened to derail her progress, requiring surgery and a lengthy recovery period.

“It just took a lot longer than anticipated to acquire back sprinting,” Neville explained to RTÉ Sport. “We couldn’t get the strength back in the right leg to match the left leg which obviously is really frustrating as a sprinter. When I first got back running, it felt like I was running with someone else’s leg. It just didn’t sense like it was a part of me.”

She found full speed again in the summer of 2025, but the journey back was arduous.

Recent Achievements and Goals

Neville has demonstrated excellent form this indoor season, achieving a personal best of 7.26 seconds in the 60m – her fastest time in six years. Whereas pleased with her progress, Neville remains focused on improving her 100m personal best of 11.33 seconds, set in 2019.

“I still haven’t PB’d outdoors, so I guess you could say we haven’t actually arrive out the other side in the 100m yet,” she said. “I got injured in 2021, that season I ran 11.47, before getting injured. Last year, I think I ran 11.40… I ran faster than I did that year, but hopefully this year I can run a new PB.”

Irish Representation in Toruń

Neville is one of eleven Irish athletes competing at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, from March 20th-22nd. Emma Moore (800m) and James Gormley (1,500m) have too been confirmed for their respective events. Kate O’Connor will lead the Irish medal challenge in the pentathlon, building on her impressive record of four medals from four multi-event competitions last year.

Inspiration and Future Aspirations

Neville draws inspiration from the success of her teammates, particularly Kate O’Connor and Sarah Lavin, with whom she trains. She believes she has yet to reach her full potential and is excited about the future.

“Even looking at Kate (O’Connor), and looking at Sarah Lavin, who I train with every day, making world finals and really pushing the top of the world… There’s no ceiling on what we can achieve,” Neville stated.

She also has her sights set on the national record of 7.15 seconds in the 60m, currently held by Rhasidat Adeleke since 2024.

“I’m looking to travel out in the first round and really set a good standard and hopefully make the semi-finals and once you’re in the semi-finals you can really let loose and see what you can do.”