Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Irish |
Born | Cork, Ireland [1] | 26 January 1997
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | 800 metres |
Louise Shanahan (born 26 January 1997) is an Irish athlete. [2] [3] She competed in the women's 800 metres event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [4] Shanahan obtained a BSc degree in physics from the University College Cork ( Cork, Ireland) in 2019.
When she was growing up, Shanahan's father, Ray, was her coach, until she moved to England. [5] In 2013, Shanahan became the European Youth Champion in the 800 metres. [6] However, after breaking a bone in her foot in 2015, she struggled to maintain her form. [6] Despite this, she was the Irish 1500m champion in 2021. [5] Her father was also an Irish national champion in the 1500 meters, [7] making them the first father and daughter to become national champions in Ireland in that event. [8]
From February 2021, she began to improve her performances in an attempt to take part in the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, after the World Student Games were cancelled. [6] She made the qualification for the Ireland Olympic team following results in Europe ahead of the Games. [6] At the beginning of 2021, she had targeted a place at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. [9] [5]
Outside of sport, Shanahan graduated from the University of Cork, [10] and is completing a PhD in physics at Trinity College, Cambridge. [11]