Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Women's athletics | ||
Representing Ireland | ||
World Cross Country Championships | ||
1992 Boston | Individual | |
1993 Amorebieta | Individual | |
1994 Budapest | Individual | |
1995 Durham | Individual | |
1997 Turin | Team | |
EAA European Cross Country Championships | ||
1994 Alnwick | Individual |
Catherina McKiernan (born 30 November 1969 in Cornafean, County Cavan) is a former long-distance runner from Ireland, who competed in the marathon, 10,000 metres and cross country running.
McKiernan, born in Cavan was educated in Cornafean and Loreto College, Cavan and played Gaelic Games before taking up athletics at school and progressing to national and international prominence. Her international athletics career was blighted by injury for a large part of 1999 and 2000, which stalled her progress and forced her to miss the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but she helped commentate on the Games for Radio Telefís Éireann the state broadcaster for Ireland. In November 2000 she married RTÉ radio presenter Damien O’Reilly. They separated in 2014. She won the 2004 Great Ireland Run but a lack of fitness forced McKiernan to pull out of the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece. Shortly after that she announced her retirement.
She was a highly successful cross country runner, collecting four world silver medals and a gold at the European Cross Country Championships during her career. She won the Belfast International Cross Country twice consecutively in 1992 and 1993, became the 1994 Eurocross champion, and was also a two-time winner of Cross Internacional de Itálica (one of Spain's most prestigious meetings).