Victoria Amiadamen

Happy birthday to Ireland’s Victoria Amiadamen, a 400m hurdler from Limerick who has turned an American scholarship into an Irish international career.

In 2026, her first season at Texas State, Victoria took bronze in the 400m hurdles at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in 59.13, won the event at the Charles Austin Classic in 58.57, and ran through to the NCAA West First Round. She was named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team and picked up CSC Academic All-District honours in the same year. Her personal best of 58.56 puts her among only five Irish women to have gone under 59 seconds in the event this season.

Before Texas State there was Adams State, a Division II program in Colorado, and that is where the most under-discussed line on her record comes from: in 2024 she was part of the squad that set the NCAA Division II national record in the distance medley relay, 11:08.94. She was fifth in the 400m hurdles at the Division II national championships the same year. Then in July 2025 she went home and pulled on the Irish vest at the European U23 Championships in Bergen, running the 4x400m alongside Jenna Breen, Kate O’Connell and Aoife Hernon in the race that opened Ireland’s championship.

Her own account of it is the best version: three years ago she left home in Ireland and moved across the world. She was eighteen and coming out of Castletroy College. She races for Dooneen AC when she is home, is coached by Hayley and Drew Harrison, and studies health sciences in Texas.

Lá breithe sona duit, Victoria! Go maire tú an céad, and fair play to you for every one of those ten hurdles. 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇮🇪