Sara Louise Treacy facts for kids

Sara Louise Treacy is an Irish runner. She was born on June 22, 1989. Sara is best known for competing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. This is a challenging race with hurdles and water jumps. She ran for Ireland at the World Championships in 2015. She also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

About Sara Treacy

Sara Louise Treacy was born on June 22, 1989. Her parents, Liam and Siobhan, were both international runners. Her brother Daniel and sister Fódhla were also good at sports. Sara's mom, Siobhan, ran in three World Cross Country Championships.

Early Life and Training

Sara started training when she was about seven or eight years old. Her parents only let her train once a week. They thought she was too young for more intense training. As she got older, she trained with the Moynalvey-Kilcloon AC club.

Sara also tried other sports. She played football and hockey. She also enjoyed horse riding, like eventing and showjumping. She even won awards with the Meath Hunt pony club.

Focusing on Athletics

When Sara was in high school at The King's Hospital, she decided to focus on running. Her first big international race was the 2006 World Cross Country event. This race took place in Fukuoka, Japan. She finished 69th in the 6000-meter race. This experience made her want to train even harder.

Sara thought about going to the United States to train. But she decided to stay in Ireland to study medicine.

University and Early Competitions

In 2007, Sara received a sports scholarship. She began studying medicine at The University of Birmingham. She graduated in 2013.

She competed in the World Junior Championships in 2008. She ran the 1500-meter race. She did not make it past the first round. In 2009, she ran in the European U23 Championships in Lithuania. She placed 18th in the 1500-meter race.

In the next European U23 Championships, she set a personal best time. This time helped her qualify for the finals. She finished 10th in the final race. Later, she moved up to ninth place. This happened after another runner was disqualified.

Team Success in Cross Country

Sara was part of the Irish women's team that won at the 2012 European Cross Country Championships. This event was held in Budapest. In 2014, she helped her team win a bronze medal. This was at the European Cross Country in Bulgaria. Her team beat France by just one point. Sara finished 12th in that race.

Switch to Steeplechase

Sara first focused on long-distance running. But after the European Cross Country, she decided to try the steeplechase. This race includes hurdles and a water jump.

She ran the 3000-meter steeplechase at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015. She was not happy with her time. She finished 13th in her heat and 29th overall.

European and Olympic Challenges

Sara raced in the 2016 European Championships 3000m steeplechase. She set a new personal best time in her first race. This time was fast enough to get her into the finals. Ireland was the only country with three athletes in that final. Sara finished ninth overall in the final.

All three Irish steeplechase runners qualified for the 2016 Olympics. Sara's qualifying time was 9:44.15. This was just under the required time of 9:45.

Sara competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. During her qualifying race, she fell. She was in a good position to qualify before the fall. After the race, Ireland's team manager appealed the results. Sara and two other runners who fell were allowed to qualify for the finals. In the finals, Sara finished 17th.

After the Olympics

After twisting her ankle in Rio, Sara did not compete in 2017. She returned to the 3000-meter steeplechase in 2018. However, she could not match her best times. She went back to work at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

In 2019, she qualified for the European Cross Country again. She finished 26th in that race. This result helped her qualify for the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Denmark.

Sara's Running Records

Personal Best Times

These are Sara's best times in different running events.

Competition Results

This table shows Sara's results in major competitions where she represented Ireland.

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Ireland
2008	World Junior Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	19th (h)	1500 m	4:26.28
2009	European U23 Championships	Kaunas, Lithuania	18th (h)	1500 m	4:24.08
2011	European U23 Championships	Ostrava, Czech Republic	9th	1500 m	4:25.97
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	29th (h)	3000 m s'chase	9:48.24
2016	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	9th	3000 m s'chase	9:45.19
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	17th	3000 m s'chase	9:52.70