The Sligo athlete, Chris O’Donnell, didn’t show any signs of fatigue after having clinched historic gold medals for Ireland at the mixed 4x400m relay on Friday night in Rome. Despite being back on the track at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday morning for the individual 400m heats, he performed remarkably well. Placed in the first of three heats, he ran an impressive season-best time of 45.69, securing fourth place.
The result of three heats determined the 14 fastest times, progressing to Sunday’s semi-finals alongside the top 12 pre-qualified athletes. O’Donnell’s time ranked him as the ninth-best among the advancing runners. The win was clinched by Jonathan Sacoor from Belgium, while young Italian athlete, Luca Sito, was the fastest qualifier with a time of 45.12.
O’Donnell, already holding five Irish titles, was also part of the mixed relay team that reached the Tokyo Olympic finals, marking a significant achievement. He and the relay team – Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Sharlene Mawdsley – will receive their European gold medals on Sunday afternoon at Medal Plaza near Stadio Olimpico.
The Irish team’s combined timing of 3:09.92 in the relay, surpassing the national record by more than a second, was close to the world record of 3:08.80 set by the USA team last summer. Given the individual performances (O’Donnell’s 46.09, Adeleke’s 49.53, Barr’s 44.90, and Mawdsley’s 49.40), they indicate room for further advancements in the near future.
On Friday night, the most noteworthy event was Adeleke’s impressive first 200m of 22.33 seconds, compelling her to slow down to 27.20 seconds for the following 200m. This surely knocked her Dutch contender Lieke Klaver off balance as she ran her first and second 200m at 22.37 seconds and 28.37 seconds respectively.
Interestingly, Adeleke, who’s part of a golden team of four athletes, has now put herself in the elite category with Sonia O’Sullivan. Both are the only people who have won gold for Ireland in the 90-year history of the European Championships.
Sarah Lavin is another Irish gold prospect. She ranks fifth among the last contenders in the 100m hurdles, and she’s directly been fast-tracked to the semi-finals taking place on Saturday evening, 7.12pm according to Irish timing. However, to secure a position on the podium, Lavin will have to clock in the 12.50s, quicker than any of her previous record. Last year, she broke Derval O’Rourke’s 13-year old Irish record at the World Championships in Budapest, where she timed 12.62 seconds during the semi-finals. This was even better than the 12.65 seconds set by O’Rourke who bagged the silver at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona; this was also her second silver in a row.
Lavin’s medal match is slated for 9.08pm Irish timing.
Another hopeful, Israel Olatunde will also be competing in the 100m semi-final at 8.10pm. He entered the finals at Munich in 2022, setting a new Irish record of 10.17 seconds.
In another high-stake event, Brian Fay is pitted in the intense 5000m race at 21.28pm, against Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen who aspires to bag a third consecutive 1,500m and 5,000m European double.
Here’s a quick look at the schedule for the Irish Athletes participating:
Day two – Saturday, June 8th, Evening session
4×400 Mixed Relay Medal Ceremony – 16:35
Oisin Lane – Men’s 20km Race Walk – Final – 17:00
Sarah Lavin – Women’s 100m Hurdles – Semi-finals – 19:12
Israel Olatunde – Men’s 100m – Semi-finals – 20:10
Assuming that they advance, Sarah Lavin is scheduled for the Women’s 100m Hurdles final at 21:08. At 21:28, Brian Fay is due to compete in the 5000m Men’s Final. Concluding the evening, Israel Olatunde is taking part in the 100m Men’s Final at 21:53.