Sarah Lavin is through to the women’s 100m hurdles final after running a season’s best time of 12.73 seconds in her semi-final.
The Limerick athlete led the field home and will line up in the final at 9.08pm (Irish time).
European relay gold medallist Chris O’Donnell ran a season’s best time of 45.69 to qualify ninth fastest for the semi-finals of the 400m.
The Sligo sprinter, who ran the opening leg of Ireland’s historic gold medal mixed relay display on Friday, shaved more than half a second off his best to finish fourth in the morning’s heats.
He ran strongly around the final bend and the closing straight to beat the 46-second mark, brushing elbows with France’s Téo Andant in third. Belgium’s Jonathan Sacoor came home first in 45.50.
With the 14 fastest runners across the three heats progressing to the semis – regardless of race placing – O’Donnell was assured of his qualification after the second heat when he ranked fifth fastest across the field.
Chris O’Donnell is enjoying quite the 24 hours as he posts a season best of 45.69 to finish fourth in his 400m heat – good enough to reach the semi-final at the European Athletics Championships.
Live now on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player pic.twitter.com/pMtLCanyGR
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 8, 2024
O’Donnell ultimately wound up the ninth quickest of the 14 qualifiers for Sunday’s semis. Italy’s Luca Sito finished as the fastest qualifier, easing home in 45.12 in the third heat.
“After last night, such a high and I have to be honest, after very little sleep, I didn’t know what to expect coming in here,” O’Donnell told David Gillick for RTÉ Sport afterwards. “It was just a case of emptying the tank and seeing what was there.
“To get quite a considerably big season’s best, it shows I brought the spirit of last night into this morning. That was what was going through my mind. The history of what we created last night, the buzz.
“We weren’t out partying last night. I was lying in bed but I just could not sleep.
“I came out here and I ran well. I have to say I was disappointed with the French athlete in the home straight. I was definitely going to go past him.
‘After last night, such a high and, I have to be honest, after very little sleep, I didn’t know what to expect coming in here… I came out here and ran well, it’s great’ – @ChrisOD400 speaks to @DavidGillick after progressing to the semis of the men’s 400m #rtesport pic.twitter.com/Bz9uFWii9X
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 8, 2024
“It wasn’t even once, it was two or three times, he was really on the outside. I was going to run past him and he wouldn’t let me. If I’d missed out by a spot, I might have said something. But we’re safely through and that’s all that matters.
“Great memories in Rome so far.”
O’Donnell was the only Irish athlete in action in Saturday’s morning session, with Oisín Lane, Lavin, Israel Olatunde and Brian Fay all in action in the evening session.
Oisín Lane finished 23rd in the men’s 20km walk in a time of one hour 25.02 seconds. Appearing in his first senior championships, Lane told Athletics Ireland that it was “a good experience really”, even though he admitted that he “did not have a good season of training” leading up to Rome, but ultimately was happy with his showing
“I got a chest infection which stayed with me for two three months, so I didn’t have the mileage coming into this, the fitness going in. I said I’ll go for a PB pace and see how it goes; I think I kept the PB pace for roughly 8k and then it died off for a little but I was happy I kept on, kept up the effort for the last 12k. I think I gained positions during the last 12k as guys died off, getting DQs, so happy enough.”
