Derval O’Rourke (Leevale AC) delighted Irish fans in Barcelona tonight winning a silver medal at European Championships in the 100 metre Hurdles. The former World Indoor champion added yet another major Championship medal and a new National Record in what was a lightning fast final. O’Rourke clocked 12.65 seconds taking .02 of a second off her previous best and National record. Congratulation Derval you have once again done your county and country proud.
Derval matched eventual winner Nevin Yarit (Turkey) stride for stride all the way to the finish line and eventually just missed out by .02 of a second. Yarit also clocked a new best time of 12.63 and a National record to add to her record achieved in the semi final.
O’ Rourke once again proved her amazing fighting spirit and reinforced her ability to perform at her peak in major championships. This silver adds to the silver medal she won at the last European championships in Gothenburg. Earlier in the night O’Rourke finished third in her semi-final in a time of 12.75 seconds which was a season’s best performance.
O’Rourke was delighted with her race “I just wanted to block everything out and run like hell”. Her fiercely competitive attitude shone through after insisting “I would love to be the champion”. When asked about her ability to step up her performance in major championships O’Rourke said “it’s bringing home medals that matters. I love to put on the Irish vest as it brings out the best in me”
O’Rourke’s record is the third Irish record today in what has been a very successful day for Irish athletics. Earlier this morning the women’s 4×100m and 4×400m relay teams both set Irish records but both just missed out on qualification to the final.
Later in the evening Alistair Cragg (Clonliffe Harriers AC) was unable to finish the men’s 5000m final after matching the early pace in the race.
