Team Ireland finished fifth in Division 2 of the European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, over the weekend, narrowly missing out on promotion to the top tier of the continental competition.
Strong performances from the likes of Sarah Lavin, Nicola Tuthill, Cian McPhillips and the Mixed 4x400m Relay team kept the 43-strong team in contention right up to the last few events.
Lavin took Ireland’s only win of the weekend, earning maximum points for her country in the Women’s 100m Hurdles. The Limerick sprinter clocked a time of 12.82 seconds in still conditions to claim victory.
“To get maximum points for the team was the priority, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ask,” Lavin said. “I think I was ranked around third on season’s best. Any opportunity you can take to put on your country’s singlet, you want to represent it to the maximum of your capabilities.”
“I got out well. My coach, Noelle Morrissey, and I have been doing a lot of work on my first hurdle and my take-off points, hopefully that’s done now, so I can stop talking about that,” she added.
Team captain Marcus Lawler was 6th in the Men’s 200m, while in the Women’s event, Lauren Roy finished just outside her personal best, clocking 23.32 seconds to finish fifth.
The Mixed 4x400m Relay team of Jack Raftery, Cliodhna Manning, Callum Baird and Sharlene Mawdsley combined to clock a time of 3:14.81, finishing second in their heat and fourth overall.
Mawdsley produced her trademark anchor leg, chasing down Olympic finalist Henriette Jæger of Norway.
“The lactic I have in my legs right now is something I’ve never experienced before,” the Tipperary sprinter said. “I’m proud of that, it was a good weekend for me. Please, God, in two years’ time we’ll be going up to the first division.”
Stepping up in distance, Cian McPhillips made a strong return from injury to finish third in the Men’s 800m. The Longford native closed strongly in the final 100m to cross the line in a time of 1:46.37.
“I’m happy. It’s been a bit of a rough season, I’m only getting back from injury after the European Indoors,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what shape I was in, but I knew whatever I did run would be a start point and hopefully I’ll go a bit quicker over the coming months. The two guys ahead of me are 1:44 flat (800m) and 3:31 (1500m) guys, I’m up there with the best. I couldn’t ask for much more.”
In the Women’s 1500m, Laura Nicholson finished fourth on her Irish senior international debut, the 25-year-old clocking 4:20.48.
Finley Daly ran bravely to also place fourth in his event, the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase. The Galway based athlete was pleased with his effort, running a time of 8:51.89.
In the field, Nicola Tuthill fouled her opening two throws but composed herself well to finish the competition in third position, her best throw coming in the fourth round, 70.50m.
“It wasn’t my best competition,” the Paris 2024 Olympian said afterwards. “I fouled my first throw, which was big, probably close to my PB and it was just outside the line. I fouled my second one as well, so I needed to get one in then.
“I’m proud of myself for getting one in because I was getting stressed out. I got over 70 metres then which is my second time over that mark this year, my second furthest throw in a competition…I’m getting more consistent.”
Team captain Niamh Fogarty produced a lifetime best of 14.29 metres in the Women’s Shot Put to finish seventh, while Conor Callinan also recorded the best result of his career, clearing 4.90 metres in the Pole Vault.
In the Men’s Javelin, Conor Cusack impressed to claim a eighth-place finish, throwing a best of 72.43 metres.
Ireland ultimately finished on 349 points behind champions Belgium (451.5), Slovenia (402.5), Norway (400) and Türkiye (382).
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