Sarah Lavin has won Ireland’s second medal of the European Games, taking bronze in in the 100m hurdles.
The event was completed on Saturday. It consists of three divisions that form part of the European Athletics Team Championships, which are being held in conjunction with the European Games.
Having raced on Wednesday morning, Lavin’s impressive time of 12.82 was fast enough to earn the Limerick athlete a podium place. Her time is the second fastest of her career; just 0.03 seconds off the personal best she clocked at the European Championships in Munich last summer.
Gold went to home favourite Pia Skrzyszowska [Poland] who ran a time of 12.77, while Nadine Visser [the Netherlands] took silver in 12.81. Both athletes competed in the Division One race in Krakow on Saturday afternoon.
France’s Laeticia Bapté also clocked a time of 12.82 in the Division One race but Lavin’s time was faster by one thousandth of a second. The 29-year-old is the first athlete who won a Division Three race to take an athletics medal at the European Games.
"I’m so so happy," she said. "I’ve dreamt of winning this, winning a major senior medal since I was a kid. It’s a really strange way to do it, to have that run by myself the other day and to have to play that waiting game to watch all the best from every country compete against each other."
Referring to her support team, and her late partner, rally driver Craig Breen, Lavin said: "I’ve had incredibly special people helping me over the last few months, over last years, but ultimately I think someone very special up there is helping me… they like the drama obviously today to bring it right one thousandth of a second, to get that bronze when the best were there."
Earlier, Irish boxers Michaela Walsh, Jennifer Lehane, Amy Broadhurst and Kelyn Cassidy made it through to the round of 16.
For Walsh, it was all too easy against Olga Papadatou of Greece in the 57kg class, while Lehane recorded a 3-2 win over Serbia's Sara Cirkovic in the 54kg division.
Both fighters are now just two wins away from booking spots at the Paris Olympics.
Belfast’s Walsh, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games, was in complete control as she won 5-0 on the judges’ scorecards.
The challenge of Papadatou was viewed as a real sticky opener, and now the draw opens up completely for Walsh, who faces Aysen Taskin in the round of 16. The Turkish fighter received a bye to this stage.
Meath woman Lehane had it much tougher, but a 3-2 win over Cirkovic was a notable result given her opponent was a World Youth champion.
"She was a tricky opponent. I was down 5-0 after the first round, it took a lot to leave it in the round previous, so the decision came to me in the second round, and the final round I came out on top again, so I'm happy out," Lehane said afterwards.
Lehane now faces well-regarded 20-year-old Greek prospect Antonia Giannakopoulou, a 2021 European Youth gold medal winner who had a bye in the opening round.
Cassidy also progressed in emphatic fashion. He was a 5-0 winner over Mindaugas Gedminas of Norway.
The Waterford light heavyweight dominated the 80kg clash and now faces Taylor Bevan of Wales on Monday in the last 16.
Amy Broadhurst's competition started in relaxed fashion as she earned an unanimous win over Milena Matovic of Serbia.
Her 5-0 win made it four wins from four for Irish boxers on Saturday. She now meets Beatrise Rozentale in the round of 16.
In diving, Jake Passmore finished 10th in Saturday night's in the 3m final, an excellent showing in his first senior international final.
Passmore, who made history last year by winning Ireland’s first-ever world level diving medal when he claimed silver at the 2022 World Junior Diving Championships in Canada, finished with a score of 383.70.
"Amazing, that was the goal I came to achieve, and it happened, I didn't think it would with this group of divers that are all really experienced but I managed to sneak in at the end," he said on qualifying for the final.
He will be back in action in the 1m event on Monday.
Jack Fairclough sits 25th in the shooting event after three series events on Saturday, with the finalists to be decided after tomorrow's action in the men’s skeet event.
Fairclough scored 23 in his first series, 24 in his second and 24 in his third series and is still in contention for a final spot.
