LAST UPDATE | 7 Aug
SARAH LAVIN PRODUCED a brilliant performance at the Stade de France this morning to qualify for the Olympic women’s 100m hurdles semi-final.
Lavin finished second in a time of 12.73 seconds in Paris, in the fourth of the five heats that took place.
That ensured automatic qualification for the semi-finals as she finished behind the winner Danielle Williams of Jamaica (12.59 seconds), with Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland in third in a time of 12.81 seconds.
The Limerick native will now compete in the semi-finals on Friday morning at 11.05am.
'Feeling good, that's the really scary round'
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 7, 2024
- Sarah Lavin talks to RTÉ Sport following her 100m hurdles heat#RTESport #Paris2024
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“Feeling good, that’s the really scary round and to have that one under the belt, it’s great,” Lavin told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
“I definitely need to be far more aggressive, all the rest in the next round. I’m in the mix amongst, all you could get this morning is the big Q, and I have that.
“I 100% think that’s the scariest round and the next one is the most difficult because so many girls are capable of making that top eight. You need to be clean and also just go for it. The brave will be rewarded. That’s a pretty scary thing to do in a heat, when all that’s up for offer is a Q, and yet you know if you get the Q, you get the day off tomorrow.
“I do need to be a lot more aggressive and keep myself a lot tighter over the hurdles. But yeah, job done.”
Mark English also impressed in his heat of the 800m as the Donegal man secured a semi-final place.
English finished second in his heat to ensure he progressed forward. A time of 1:45.15 saw English through and he was only just beaten to the line by Gabriel Tual.
The semi-finals take place on Friday morning at 10.30am.
'I've never doubted myself.... I'm in good shape. Now it's about producing my best race in the semi-final now as well'
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 7, 2024
Mark English is confident following his superb 800m heat performance#RTESport #Paris2024
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“Very happy with that.,” said English afterwards, speaking to RTÉ.
“Think I was ranked sixth coming into it, so it’s brilliant to have got the qualification and one we go to the semi-final.
“I’ve never doubted myself…I’m in good shape. Now it’s about producing my best race in the semi-final now as well.”
There was no joy, however, for either Sophie O’Sullivan or Sarah Healy in their 1500m repechage races, each of whom endured the agony of fourth-place finishes to miss out on qualification for the semis.
O’Sullivan clocked a time of 4:03:23, 0.58 seconds off the required top-three finish. Healy came in at 4:07:60 in a separate run, 0.55 seconds off the third-place finisher.
Those results mean that Cathal Doyle was the only Irish 1500m runner to reach a semi-final at these Games.
Earlier, Brian Fay finished 13th in his heat of the men’s 5000m race in a time of 13:55.35, meaning he will miss out on a final place on his Olympic debut.
