Ailis McSweeney
{{short description|Irish sprinter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2021}}
{{MedalTableTop|country_code=IRL|sport=Women's athletics|medals=
{{Medal|Competition|Summer Universiade}}
{{Medal|Silver | 2005 Izmir | 100 m }}
{{Medal|Bronze | 2005 Izmir | 4x100 m Relay }}
}}
Ailis McSweeney (born 4 October 1983){{cite web|title=Ailis McSweeney |url=http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?page_id=660 |publisher=Athletics Ireland |accessdate=8 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929083532/http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?page_id=660 |archivedate=29 September 2011 }} is an Irish sprinter who specialises in 60 (indoor) and 100 metres. She previously held the Irish record at 100 metres, having posted a time of 11.40 s at an IAAF permit event in Liège, Belgium.{{cite news|title=Sports Digest|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0715/1224274737579.html|accessdate=8 August 2010|work=The Irish Times|date=15 July 2010}}
Athletics career
McSweeney is affiliated with the Leevale Athletic Club in Cork City, Ireland.{{cite web|title=New 4x100m record for Women’s Team|url=http://www.leevale.org/2010/new-4x100m-record-for-womens-team/|publisher=Leevale Athletic Club|accessdate=8 August 2010|date=31 July 2010}}
She won the silver medal at the 2005 Summer Universiade and Bronze in the 4x100 m Relay. She also reached the semi-finals of the 100 m at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. She also competes over 60 metres and was a semi-finalist at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She also finished ninth overall at the 2010 European Championships in Athletics, having missed out on a spot in the final by a one hundredth of a second. McSweeney competed in the 4x100 m relay at the same championships with Amy Foster, Niamh Whelan and Claire Brady. McSweeney ran the anchor leg alongside Olympic legend Merlene Ottey to finish fourth, and missed out on a spot in the final by 0.03 of a second.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
McSweeney participated in the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in the Women's 60 metres. In her first round heat, she finished fourth behind winner Hrystyna Stuy, Myriam Soumaré and youngster, Jodie Williams in a time of 7.38 and qualified as a fastest loser. In her semi-final, she started very strongly but ended up finishing seventh with Mariya Ryemyen winning the race in a time of 7.16, Véronique Mang finishing second and Hrystyna Stuy finishing third and Shane Healy coming fourth. McSweeney clocked a time of 7.34, which was not enough to advance and was 0.04 off the national record set by Anna Boyle.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
McSweeney missed the Irish National Championships due to injury and was unable to defend her title. Amy Foster eventually took both the 100 and 200 metre titles.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
Personal life
Ailis McSweeney was born on 4 October 1983; her home town is Carrigtwohill{{cite web|last=McSweeney|first=Ailis|title=Ailis McSweeney|url=https://www.facebook.com/people/Ailis-McSweeney/533015637#!/profile.php?id=533015637|publisher=Facebook|accessdate=8 August 2010}} in County Cork. McSweeney attended school at St. Aloysius' College in Carrigtwohill, where she led a 4 x 100 metres relay team that went undefeated during her time there.{{cite news|last=Mooney|first=Brendan|title=McSweeney hitting right form as Barcelona looms|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/text/sport/kfcwojmhgbid/|accessdate=8 August 2010|work= Irish Examiner|date=17 July 2010}} She went on to undergraduate study at University College Cork, finishing a BCL degree in 2004;{{cite web|title=UCC Alumni News Spring 2006|url=http://www.ucc.ie/en/alumni/gradassoc/newsletter/DocumentFile-13877-en.pdf|publisher=University College Cork|accessdate=8 August 2010}} McSweeney was selected to participate in the Law Faculty Annual Moot Court during her final year.{{cite web|title=University College Cork Faculty of Law Newsletter 2004|url=http://www.ucc.ie/en/lawsite/eventsandnews/newsletter/newsletter2004/DocumentFile,11453,en.pdf|publisher=University College Cork|accessdate=8 August 2010}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 2006, she studied for a Master's Degree in Globalisation at the Dublin City University School of Law and Government{{cite web|title=Derval O’Rourke takes home a gold medal in Moscow|url=http://www.dcu.ie/news/2006/mar/s0306f.shtml|publisher=Dublin City University|accessdate=8 August 2010|date=13 March 2006}} while preparing to become a solicitor. McSweeney married Dublin footballer Bryan Cullen in January 2013.{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/from-trenches-to-benches-for-bryan-cullen-29584598.html|title= From trenches to benches for Bryan Cullen|date=17 September 2013|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=17 September 2013}}
She currently works for A & L Goodbody in the International Financial Services Centre.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
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Category:Irish female sprinters
Category:Athletes from County Cork
Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
Category:Alumni of Dublin City University
Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for Ireland
Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Ireland
Category:Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade