Cork Women in Sport winner Fiona Everard on right track to more success

It has been a superb couple of weeks for Bandon AC’s Fiona Everard, which has seen her win The Echo Women in Sport award for December.

She began with a superb victory at the Autumn Open International Cross Country in Dublin, setting the tone for what would become a memorable period in her season. Building on that momentum, she produced a commanding display in trying and testing conditions in Derry to regain her national cross country title.

She then headed to Portugal to take part in the European Cross Country Championships where Fiona finished an impressive 10th in the senior women’s race. Competing against Europe’s elite, Fiona’s performance confirmed her status among the top endurance athletes.

Following on from these she headed to America for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships at Tallahassee, Florida, where she finished 23rd, to round off a magnificent few weeks for the West Cork athlete.

This has probably her best few weeks of racing in some time, but Fiona has enjoyed plenty more success along the way as well.

In December 2022, she won the National Novice Cross-Country Championship, held at Conna.

At that point Fiona has started to work with her coach, Matt Lockett, as he helped her to overcome a series of injuries that had impeded her progress to that point, including bone injuries and stress fractures.

In late 2022, she also finished in the top 10 at the national senior cross country championships at Donegal.

The following February saw Fiona make her international debut and came home in a highly respectable 14th at the Cross Cup de Hannut held in Belgium.

Fiona was studying for a Masters in Biomedical Science at the University of Galway, and representing the college she won the IUAA cross-country event in Limerick in March. The following month she won the Irish Universities Championship over 5,000m in Dublin, in what was in only her second-ever 5,000m race on the track Fiona also won the 2023 national cross country championships in November. She finished 37 seconds clear of the field, in a race competed in extreme muddy conditions.

She credited her experience of conditions training in Bandon which have helped her to favour muddy and hilly courses.

Last year she ran a 15:49.79 personal best for the 5,000 metres at an outdoor meet in Brussels.

Before Fiona won the national championships she was successful in the Autumn Open International Cross Country Festival, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Bronze meeting, in Dublin.

From this, she went on to national success in the cross country event and followed on with her top-class displays in Portugal and Florida. Like all athletes, Fiona had to start somewhere and her love of running started when she was around seven.

“I joined Bandon when I was, I think seven,” said Fiona, “I’m the youngest of four, so my parents made us join every sport going.

“So yeah, I joined Bandon and kind of stuck with that throughout the years, progressed and went to Galway to college then a couple of years ago. That’s where I probably managed to stay injury-free and everything, so I managed to make a decent improvement, I think, when I went there.

“I did a masters there, so I’m only back now since the end of summer, really. But it’s nice as well to be back in West Cork and back in Bandon.

I was always running for the club and it’s nice to still be with the same club I grew up with.” 

RESILIENCE

Her progress started in school, but she also suffered a number of injuries along the way.

“Throughout schools I used to make SIAB international teams (Schools International Athletic Board), so I always knew I’d prefer cross-country and was definitely better over that.

“But I think I made like gradual progression, like making a few internationals and making Eurocross as a junior.

“Then I just went through a few years where I kept getting injured. I think it was when I managed to say injury-free, I could see I was making quick progression.

“I think that was the key, just actually staying healthy and being able to be consistent with training. The last few years it’s been quite nice being able to like make improvements year on year.

I think especially since last September, I could feel training had gone well and I was making good improvements, so I went into nationals pretty confident.

“I knew Niamh Allen was going to be tough to beat. I know her so well, I’ve been doing training sessions with her. I didn’t ever feet overly confident that I had the win, but I just knew throughout the race I was feeling quite good.

“I thought there’s no reason not to go for it. And then just coming into the finish, I was glad that I managed to pull it off.” That gave Fiona plenty of confidence heading to Portugal, but she had reservations about the race route.

“I think I was trying to also get that out of my head that I can’t run well over like firmer ground. I did want to prove to myself that I can run well there.

“I was thinking anything outside of top 20 I’d have been disappointed, but I wanted to get as close as I could to that 10th spot. But to actually get it, I was thrilled with that.” 

MAGNIFICENT

It was off to America then for the worlds, another magnificent finish as Fiona crossed the line in 23rd spot, passing eight other athletes in the final 4km to finish strongly.

“I was delighted again with that, and I think more so like that course was firm ground, but it was also really flat. So I kind of thought if I can run well over that, it will give me confidence going to future courses. 

But even with the heat and everything, I knew it was going to be quite tough. So despite all that, I was really glad to get inside that top 25.” 

Looking ahead, there are plenty of options.

“I’m not too sure yet. I’ll do national indoors and hopefully do a 10k on the road before April and then see.

“I think if I can have a year similar to last year, I’d still see that as a good year because I think it can be hard to replicate that, but ideally I’ll improve and put in some better performances than last year.”