Galmoy’s Bergin is taking the athletics world by storm

Katie Bergin might not have featured at the recent World Athletics Championships in Budapest, but she lived every minute of the action from her home in the rural North Kilkenny countryside.

The Galmoy sprinter witnessed it all, from Ciara Mageean’s valiant display in the 1,500 metres to Rhasidat Adeleke’s exploits in the 400.

Naturally, Bergin had her eyes on the 100 and 200 metres, the two events in which the Kilkenny woman herself specialises in.

Bergin was looking on when US sprinter Sha-carri Richardson scorched down the track to land the 100 metre gold, her speed sending sparks flying into the Hungarian night.

Bergin is one of Richardson’s most ardent fans. She regards the 23 year-old American sprinter as somewhat of a role model - an inspiring emerging talent in a field of high quality elite level sprinters.

“I actually really like Sha’carri Richardson - she’s probably my main role model on the international stage. I just think she’s so cool.

“She’s a real character, really colourful. And aside from that, everyone kind of doubted her coming into that 100 metres final.”

As ever, watching these Championships felt like observing some kind of dramatic theatre production, with a cast of different characters from all corners of the globe and a plot which twisted and turned with every event.

All the stars, in one place, in one arena, just as they will be in Paris exactly one year from now.

Bergin makes no secret of it. This is where she wants to be. This is where her career is headed - competing on the greatest stage, alongside the greatest athletes. She doesn’t just want to be among them. She wants to be one of them.

But it wasn’t always this way. Bergin has only really emerged from the shadows within the space of the past twelve months.

She has been in the game for years, running and racing since childhood, but never was she considered an outstanding talent or a potential national champion.

The spark was certainly there, but the results weren’t. As youngster she was a good, solid athlete, but never a childhood prodigy.

“So basically I started running during childhood - I think I was about ten years of age when I set out. You know, in primary school I was kind of like always one of the fast girls, I had some natural speed.

“But when I actually first began athletics, I started in a club in Kilkenny in Johnstown, and then I heard about Moyne, heard about how great their facilities were, so I transferred straight over.

“But my whole early athletic career wasn’t as successful as you might think. I’ve only really put myself on the map with my performances this year, so it has actually been a long time coming.”

And the breakthrough has been nothing short of phenomenal. In 2022 Bergin landed her first national title - the 60 metres indoor at the All-Ireland championships in Dublin.

This past year she’s just gone from strength to strength, knocking off another indoor title in the spring before coasting to success in the under-23 100 and 200 metres in Tullamore.

Throw in another national honour - the 200 metres in the National Championships in Santry in July, and it really has been a mesmerising season for the Galmoy star.

She has evolved into one of the most exciting sprint athletes in this country, but without her coach Martin Flynn’s input, and by extension the support of her two devoted parents, none of this would have been impossible.

Together, Bergin and her team have pieced together different parts of the jigsaw, investing in new forms of training and making little tweaks to her running technique.

“I think it was a mixture of everything to be honest. In the past year, I’ve kind of started to take athletics more seriously, so I’ve improved my nutrition and started working in the gym, And I’ve combined all that with more running on the track and more outdoor training.

“So there were all these small things, all these little elements, which just all came together and clicked for me this year. And I’m obviously hoping to develop them further in future years.”

Suffice to say her training regime is rigorously planned, and incredibly intensive.

In effect, Bergin trains six days a week - three sessions in the gym and three more out on the track. She insists that it isn’t as gruelling as it looks.

She enjoys the training, enjoys the strain for milliseconds, thrives off the buzz of zipping down the track. Sometimes she just likes to forget about it all and get out there and run, but in reality, 100 and 200 metre sprinting aren’t just about running fast.

Both events are, in effect, precision based. Central to the art of sprinting is discipline and technique. Body positioning, posture and visual coordination are all critical. Once you move into the higher echelons, these factors become more and more prominent, as Katie well knows.

“It’s such a technical event, the 100 metres in particular. It’s the most technical of the track events in my opinion. You only have 11 seconds to make it to the end line, so everything, from your technique to your posture to your form, everything has to be perfect.

“They all have to click on the day. And then you have your technique coming out of the blocks, your reaction time to the gun - they’re of major importance to any sprinter.”

The 21 year-old has just completed her undergraduate degree in IT Carlow and intends to move to Cork in the coming weeks to study for a masters in PE Teaching in UCC.

She’ll train in the Mardyke, alongside some of Ireland’s finest sprinting talents. Having access to high quality facilities and elite level training partners can only be beneficial, as Bergin well knows.

Right now, the future looks promising for the Galmoy starlet.

While Bergin has time on her side. The next few years will however, be critical. The Olympics isn’t on the agenda just yet, but make no mistake, it’s a future aspiration.

Nobody is talking about Los Angeles 2028, but you can bet that it’s at the back of Bergin’s mind.

“I have a few short-term goals. The world relays are on next year, so I’d love to make the 4x100 metre senior panel.

“That’s always been like the dream, to make the panel. And I’m not too far off making it at the moment. I still have a bit to go but I’m getting closer.

“I’ll have to have a really good indoor season next year to be considered for that team - which would be amazing. And then in terms of my long-term goals, they would involve competing on the world stage, competing with an Irish vest at the big global meets. That’s the dream. That’s what I’m working towards.”