Saturday Euros Recap: Mixed Results for Irish Athletes in the European Athletics Championships
June 8, 2024
In the morning session, Sligoman Chris O'Donnell was the sole Irish athlete to grace the track. Coming hot off the heels of the previous night's Mixed Relay gold medal victory, he delivered a stellar performance, clinching 4th place in his heat with a time of 45.69. This secured his spot in tomorrow's semi-final, set to commence at 7:54 PM.
First up in the evening session was 21 year old Oisín Lane taking part in the Men's 20km Race Walk. The young athlete finished a respectable 23rd place in a time of 1:25:02.
Next up in the evening session was Sarah Lavin, who delivered an excellent performance to win her Women's 100m Hurdles semi-final heat with a time of 12.73. This victory secured her a place in the final later in the evening, where she went on to finish 7th with a time of 12.94, unfortunately missing out on a podium spot.
Israel Olatunde's campaign in the Men's 100m competition came to an end as he did not qualify out of the semi-final, finishing 7th with a time of 10.40. His race was significantly delayed by two false starts, with the first one being a notable talking point as four of the athletes had nearly completed the 100m before finally hearing the restart call. He will now turn his attention to the Men's 4x100m relay with the heats taking place on Tuesday afternoon.
The last Irish athlete in action for the night was Brian Fay, competing in the Men's 5000m final. Despite a big effort, he fell short of a place on the podium, finishing in 14th place with a time of 13:29.48. Fay will also compete in the 10,000m final on Wednesday.
Day 2 Results
Chris O'Donnell - Men's 100m Semi Final - 4th - 45.69
Oisin Lane - Men's 20km Race Walk - 23rd - 1:25:02
Sarah Lavin - Women's 100m Hurdles Semi Final - 1st - 12.73
Israel Olatunde - Men's 100m Semi Final - 7th - 10.40
Sarah Lavin - Women's 100m Hurdles Final - 7th - 12.94
Brian Fay - Men's 5000m Final - 14th - 13:29.48