Written by Malcolm McCausland
The switch of allegiance by former teenage prodigy Mary Kane came as a surprise to even the most ardent of Irish athletics fans.
Following a successful career in the United States, Kane’s permission to represent Ireland was confirmed by World Athletics on February 16, making him eligible for immediate selection.
But that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, considering the 27-year-old ran three indoor races in 2020 with mediocre times by her own standards.
It may be difficult for her to regain the form she had when she won the world junior 3,000 meters in 2014.
Mary Cecilia Kane was born on May 3, 1996 in Bronxville, north of New York City, the daughter of Charles and Mary E. Kane, and has three sisters, Aine, Catherine, and Mairead.
She spoke of her family ties to Westmeath and Kilkenny. Her running ability was discovered at Bronxville High School, where she won numerous state titles and two national championships.
Stunning by any standard, she ran the 800 meters at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, ranking 18th. Later that year, she competed in American colors at the World Junior Championships, breaking the U.S. high school 1500 meter record and earning her first representative honors.
It was around this time that she began to be coached by coach Alberto Salazar, who at the time was considered a leading figure in the art world. That will change later.
Her career continued in 2013, when she broke the 2-minute 800-meter dash (1:59.51), breaking American and North American U18 and junior records. At the age of 17 she became the youngest ever to represent the United States at the World Championships, reaching the final in Moscow, becoming the youngest again.
She was named “Youth Athlete of the Year” by the United States Track and Field Federation (USATF).
His upward trajectory continued in 2014, when he broke the world junior 1,000m indoor record twice, cutting it to 2:35.80. Showing off her versatility at a variety of distances, she ran her personal best of 8:58.48 in Eugene, Oregon, and was crowned world junior 3000 meter champion.
This led to her receiving a number of offers from American universities, but ultimately she ended up attending the University of Portland, Oregon, while competing as a professional athlete for Nike and strengthening her relationship with coach Salazar at the Oregon Project. I chose to participate in the honors program.
2015 may not have been a smooth year for her, but she still won the 800m (2:02.75), 1000m (2:38:25), and mile (4:31.31). He ran the junior indoor mark at the world’s top level. That summer she toured Europe, including a third place in the 3000m at Cork City Sports.
She returned to Europe during the 2016 indoor season, traveling to Athlone to finish third in the 1500 meters (4:13.46) at the annual Grand Prix event.
However, she finished 11th in the 1,500 meters (4:13.45) in Eugene, Oregon, and was not selected to represent the United States at the Rio Olympics. Kane did not compete in either 2017 or 2018, and only ran two 4-mile road races in 2019.
Last November, she filed a $20 million lawsuit between Nike and Alberto Salazar that was allegedly filed two years ago, based on her claims that she suffered “mental and physical abuse” at the hands of her coach. The lawsuit was settled.
At 27, Kane is still young enough to start his career and is unlikely to feature again at world level, but he could be a more than useful addition to the Irish team at European level.