This day last week we wrote about the record-breaking achievements of young Irish athletes at the U18 European Championships. Seven days on and we can say the same of the next level up having secured a best-ever performance at the World U20 Championships in Finland.
There is a fresh energy about the Athletes competing this summer, doubtless feeding off each others success and building on the high-performance programme in place at home.
Ireland has never won a relay medal before but the team returning to Dublin from Helsinki will be led in led by a silver medal winning 100 Metre relay team of Molly Scott, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville and Patience Jumbo-Gala. They will be followed by Sommer Lecky who came within an ace of setting a new Irish Senior record in securing silver in the High Jump at the age of only 17.
Yet again we can talk about the strength across the country with all five medal winners representing five different clubs.
The return doubles the number of medals that Ireland has ever won at this level and the relay team came incredibly close to overhauling the United States team to Gold with Great Britain back in third.
Added to the remarkable achievements of Sarah Healy, Rhasidat Adeleke and Sophie O’Sullivan the previous weekend it means we have eight young Irish women having secured three gold and six silver medals at the pinnacle of their sport and their age over the past eight days.
Records also tumbled at the Irish Life Health National Juvenile Track and Field Championships in Tullamore in what is an unprecedented period of sustained and deep promise for the sport in Ireland.
Meet your WORLD SILVER MEDALLISTS pic.twitter.com/FIU6g8O1oy
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) July 14, 2018