DSD’s Hiko has an opportunity to represent country at Olympics

DUNDRUM South Dublin Athletic Club’s superstar long-distance runner Hiko Tonosa Haso has an opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games after being selected to represent Ireland at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Athletics Ireland has selected a team of five athletes to compete at the World Athletics Road Running Championships which is to be held from 30 September to 1 October.

Running a half-marathon distance, Tonosa joins Peter Lynch and two-time Olympian Kevin Seaward to lead the men’s contingent of Team Ireland.

Tonosa is a talented long-distance runner who previously captured gold medals at the National Senior Track and Field Championships over 5,000m and 10,000m in 2021.

Tonosa recently competed in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne, in August, and recorded an impressive ninth-place finish in a time of 1:02.23.

In March 2020, the Ethiopian-born man received Irish citizenship, which allowed him to realise the dream he’s had since arriving in Ireland in 2017, to “run for Ireland”.

Tonosa will don the Irish vest in Riga at the end of September alongside Shona Heaslip and Fionnuala Ross, who are competing in the Women’s Half Marathon.

Athletics Ireland has established the Selection Criteria consistent with its High Performance vision of “more athletes winning on the world stage”.

The World Athletics Road Running Championships will act as a qualification opportunity for major championships including the 2024 European Championships and 2024 Olympic Games.

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