Andrew Coscoran added another medal to Ireland’s European Athletics Championships 2026 tally this weekend after he competed in the men’s 1500m.
The biennial tournament is currently underway in Birmingham, wrapping up on Sunday, August 16.
On Saturday, Kate O’Connor won Gold in the Heptathlon, while fellow Irish representative Coscoran claimed Bronze.
It’s Coscoran’s first international medal, and came following a finish of 3:36.24.
Coscoran came just seconds behind Sweden’s Samuel Pihlström. The Netherlands Stefan Nilessen won gold with a time of 3:35.70.
Speaking after, 30-year-old Coscoran branded it the ‘race of my life’ as he admitted his medal was a ‘long time coming.’
He said: ‘I think I’ve always been at the Europeans, the amount of times I’ve been in the final. This is my third outdoor European final.
‘I’ve been trying for a long time, and eventually it clicked, and I managed to get into the medals. I’m absolutely chuffed.’
He added that the medal had given him a ‘new lease now in the sport.’
“Hard work eventually pays off!”
“I’ve been working so hard for this for so long.”
A delighted Andrew Coscoran revels in his bronze medal win in the 1500m final with David Gillick.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026
The Balbriggan native joined Star of the Sea AC in 2010 when he was just a teenager, and earned a scholarship for Florida State University at 18 years old.
The following year, he decided to return home, where he trained with Dublin Track Star and studied at Dublin City University.
His international sporting career began in 2020, when he won the Irish Indoor Championships in the 1500-metre distance.
The following year he took the national outdoor title, and was selected for the Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 10th in the semi-finals.
His first foray into the European came in 2022, with the runner finishing 9th in the final. He didn’t get to the final the following year, and finished in 13th place in the 2024 final.
Last year, Coscoran finished 12th in the final.
The Irish international had been placing seventh on the final bend in the 2026 finals, before a turn of speed saw him get to the third place position.
Following the victory, he detailed how he had bided his time and waited for the spots to open up before making his move.
Coscoran’s Bronze comes not long after Kate O’Connor won Gold in the Heptathlon.
The victory came following a difficult weekend of highs and lows across the seven events, which culminated in a stunning finish in the 800m on Saturday,
Saturday’s medals bring Ireland’s athletics tally up to four, with Mark English winning gold int he men’s 800m and Rhasidat Adeleke winning silver in the women’s 200m earlier in the week.
There are further medal hopes this Sunday as the final day of the tournament gets underway.
Amongst the Irish representatives are Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan in the 1500m finals. There are also four Irish in the Marathon on Sunday morning, including Fionnuala McCormack and David McGlynn.
