Preview: Irish athletes in Budapest for World Athletics Championships

The eternal quest for perfectionism is something that unites the fields of sport and art.

In Budapest this week, they happen to collide. As the World Athletics Championships gets underway at the Hungarian National Athletics Centre, the Ludwig Museum just metres away is running an art exhibition that questions the perfectionism depicted on social media.

Maybe the Irish contingent of visiting fans descending on the sun-drenched city, faithfully following a special generation of talent, will find the time to take in both.

Perfectionism, after all, was what propelled this Irish team of athletes to compete on the global stage, with the hope of podium places to follow.

Over 2,000 athletes from 200 countries will be in attendance, 24 of whom will be Irish. It's the biggest team Ireland has ever had at a World Championships. It includes many marquee names, among them middle distance runner Ciara Mageean and rising star Rhasidat Adeleke.

Mageean, from Portaferry, Co Down, is one of our genuine medal contenders. She won a silver medal at the European Championships in Munich last year, a dominant force in the 1500m, with three European podium places to her credit.

Much of the focus ahead of these championships has been on Rhasidat Adeleke. The 20-year-old from Tallaght in Dublin is one of our most exciting prospects. From her base at the University of Texas she has taken America by storm – she’s the first Irish sprinter to win a prestigious NCAA title.

This year alone Adeleke has broken her own 200m and 400m records on multiple occasions. In mid-July, Adeleke announced she was turning professional. She came second to world champion Shericka Jackson in her first race as a pro.

Hurdler Sarah Lavin’s career appears to be on an upward curve