Fionnuala McCormack ( Britton; born 24 September 1984 in Wicklow) is an Irish runner who has competed at a range of distance running events. She was the gold medallist at the 2011 and 2012 European Cross Country Championships, becoming the first woman to successfully defend the title. She has represented Ireland in the steeplechase at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and 2011 World Championships in Athletics, and twice at the European Athletics Championships.
Career She began her international junior career in cross country running in 2001, highlighted by 33rd place at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in her debut championships in Lausanne. She won a steeplechase silver at the 2006 European Cup and also competed in the event at the European Athletics Championships, being eliminated in the heats.Britton, Fionnuala. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2010. She took the under-23 silver medal at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships at the end of the year. She was fourteenth in the senior race at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – the second best European performer behind Jessica Augusto (12th).2007 World XC Championships – Women's Senior Race Results . IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2010. She made her global track debut at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and was twelfth in the steeplechase final. She ended the year with a seventh-place finish at the 2007 European Cross Country Championships.
She made her Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, but did not make the women's steeplechase final. She came eleventh at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships which was held in her home city of Dublin. Britton was also eleventh in the steeplechase final at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. She just missed out on a medal at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships, finishing with the same time as bronze medallist Ana Dulce Félix. She took second place at the Lotto Cross Cup Brussels a week later.Hendrix, Ivo (20 December 2009). Lalli and Herzog triumph in wintry Brussels. IAAF. Retrieved on 8 February 2010.
In preparation for the world competition, she ran at the Almond Blossom Cross Country in March 2011 and took second place.Fernandes, António Manuel (6 March 2011). Kalovics and Menjo cruise to victories in Albufeira. IAAF. Retrieved on 6 March 2011. She managed 16th place at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbría. She ran a personal best of 15:31.26 minutes for the 5000 metres at the FBK Games in June then ran a steeplechase best of 9:37.60 minutes at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York. Britton represented Ireland on the track at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, narrowly being eliminated in the first stage of the steeplechase.Britton Fionnuala. IAAF. Retrieved on 1 December 2011. In November she came third at the high-level Cross de l'Acier cross country race.Delporte, David (28 November 2011). Joseph Ebuya n'a jamais laissé planer le doute . La Voix de Sports. Retrieved on 1 December 2011. In December 2011, she won the gold medal at the 2011 European Cross Country Championships.
She began 2012 with wins at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country and Antrim Cross Country.Duffy, Coilin (21 January 2012). Kigen makes it a hat-trick; Britton takes women’s race win in Antrim. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 January 2012. She expressed her disappointment that the World Cross Country would not be held that year, and stated that she would focus on track running that year instead.Wenig, Jorg (7 January 2012). Kiprop triumphs in race of champions, Bekele a distant 11th – Edinburgh XC report. IAAF. Retrieved on 8 January 2012. In December of that year she became the first woman to defend the continental cross titleTurnbull, Simon (6 January 2013). . Retrieved on 22 January 2013. claiming victory at the 2012 European Cross Country Championships.
In January 2013, Britton retained her Great Edinburgh Cross Country and Antrim Cross Country titles.
On 3 March 2013, she won a bronze medal in the 3000 metres final at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg. She placed 13th at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, being Europe's top performer in the race and one of only two non-Africans in the top 15 (alongside Neely Spence). She competed mainly in European competitions in the following two seasons, coming fourth at the 2013 European Cross Country Championships, ranking eighth in the 10,000 m at the 2014 European Athletics Championships, then ending in sixth at the 2014 European Cross Country Championships (and taking a team bronze).
She married in 2015 and began competing as Fionnuala McCormack.O'Riordan, Ian (2015-11-22). Different name, same result as Fionnuala McCormack takes seventh title. Irish Times. Retrieved on 2015-12-14. Her first success under her married name was a team bronze at the 2015 European Cross Country Championships, where she narrowly missed an individual medal in fourth place behind Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal.SPAR European Cross Country Championships - Hyères 2015 Senior Women Final. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-12-14. She finished 5th in the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. She finished in 18th place.
In December 2022, she qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, making her the first Irish woman to participate at five Olympic Games.
In December 2024 she ran her personal best of 2:23:46 in Valencia at the age of 40.
She finished in 10th place at the 2025 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:27:00, winning the masters division prize of $3,000.
International competitions Representing 2005European U23 Championships Erfurt, Germany9th3000 m st.10:17.58Universiade İzmir, Turkey11th3000 m st.10:28.372006European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden17th (h)3000 m st.9:49.20European Cross Country ChampionshipsSan Giorgio su Legnano, Italy2ndUnder-23 race (5.975 km)18:562007World Cross Country Championships Mombasa, Kenya13thSenior race (8 km)28:45World Championships Osaka, Japan12th3000 m st.9:48.092008World University Cross Country ChampionshipsHaute Normandie – Rouen, France2ndUnder-2322:39Olympic GamesBeijing, China10th3000 m st.9:43.572009Universiade Belgrade, Serbia6th3000 m st.9:54.102010European ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain11th3000 m st.9:45.252011World Championships Daegu, South Korea9th3000 m st.9:41.17European Cross Country ChampionshipsVelenje, Slovenia 1stSenior race (8.170 km)25:552012European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland4th10000 m32:05.54Olympic GamesLondon, England12th 10,000 m31:14.75Olympic GamesLondon, England8th5000 m 15:08.57European Cross Country ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary 1stSenior race (8.050 km)27:452013European Indoor ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden 3rd3000m9:00.54World Cross Country ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland 14thSenior Race (8 km)25:08European Cross Country ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia5thSenior race (8.050 km)26:452014European ChampionshipsZurich, Switzerland10thMarathon2:31:462015European Cross Country ChampionshipsHyères, France4thSenior race26:003rdTeam race83 pts2016European ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Netherlands5th10,000 m31:30.74Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil20thMarathon2:29.582021Olympic GamesSapporo, Japan25thMarathon2:34:092024Olympic GamesParis, France28thMarathon2:30:122025World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan9thMarathon2:30:162026European ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom –MarathonDNF
Personal bests 1500 metres – 4:08.35 min (2011) 3000 metres – 8:55.12 min (2012) 3000 metres indoor – 8:53.47 min (2013) 5000 metres – 15:08.69 min (2012) 10,000 metres – 31:18.25 min (2012) 3000 metres steeplechase – 9:17.60 min (2011) Marathon – 2 hrs 23:46 min (2024)
References
External links
Fionnuala McCormack at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived)