LAST UPDATE | 8 Jun
SARAH LAVIN HAS finished in seventh place in the 100m hurdles final at the European Championships in Rome.
It proved a disappointing climax for the Limerick woman, who had earlier recorded the fourth fastest time across the semi-finals — winning hers — to book her place in a talent-stacked decider.
In the final, however, Lavin clipped the second hurdle and never truly recovered as she recorded a time of 12.94 — over three tenths of a second off her personal best (12.62).
“I got out well to the first hurdle but then smashed the second, so the race was gone,” Lavin said. “Right now, it’s just very raw. It’s not the placing, it’s that I know my performance is much better than that.
“I’m sure in a few days I’ll be grateful the Olympic is only a few weeks away and I’ll come back, but if losing didn’t hurt, winning wouldn’t matter.”
Ultimately, Lavin would have needed to have smashed her PB to have claimed a medal, with the cream of the European 100m hurdles circuit rising to the top.
France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela took gold with a championship-record time of 12.31, with Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji — the fastest in Europe all year — second in 12.40. Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska claimed bronze with a 12.42 PB.
Lavin had earlier on Saturday matched her own season-best time — 12.73 — to win her semi ahead of Kambundji.
Elsewhere, there was a 14th-placed finish in Europe for Brian Fay who stuck on bravely to cross in 13:29.48 in the 5,000m. The Dubliner also holds an entry in the 10,000m final on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m, there was disappointment for Israel Olatunde who bowed out at the semi-final stage with an 18th-placed overall finish.
Olatunde’s heat was severely delayed by two false starts, and the Dundalk man finished sixth in his race with a time of 10.40. Olatunde’s attention will now turn to the 100m relays.
Earlier, appearing at his first senior championships, Westmeath’s Oisín Lane finished 23rd in the men’s 20km walk, recording a time of one hour and 25.02 seconds.
This morning, Sligo’s mixed relay hero Chris O’Donnell safely booked his passage into Sunday’s 400m semi-finals.
