Maher entered the competition ranked seventh on personal best but delivered a tactical masterclass to run the race of her life, claiming a medal in her first track championship for Ireland.

The 21-year-old stuck to the back of the pack before taking closer order with 2 laps to go.

Maher got an inside run on the final straight, battling to hold off British athlete Mena Scatchard, to cross the line in 4:09.54.

After the race Maher said the achievement is still sinking in.

“I’m lost for words right now, I can’t even I’m still processing it all,” she said.

Before coming to these championships Maher set a personal best by more than four seconds at the Morton Games in Santry of 4:08.67.

“I’m absolutely delighted right now; I knew after Morton that I was in the shape of my life, and then I just had to keep it good and do what I did.”

“I was vomiting before the heats I was so nervous, this was my first track champs… I worked for this, I wanted this, and I think I tried to enjoy it a lot more today, but it was easier because I had done it before.”

The race was won by Turkey’s Dilek Kocak in 4:08.79, Adele Gay of France took silver.

Just 30 minutes later, Irish flags were waving again when 10000m champion Anika Thompson made a return to the track, this time in the 5000m, where she took bronze.

In what was a tight turnaround from her 10000m glory on Friday evening, a determined Thompson hit the front early, leading until 800m to go, where she hung on for two gritty laps to cross the line in 15:56.80.

Thompson explained she was still feeling the effects of the 24-lap race on Friday evening.

“I’m really quite tired, but I’m actually really happy. I love having a race where I can give it my all and that was one of the hardest ones I have run, and I just love to leave it out there on the track,” she shared.

“It’s the joy I have of the sport of running, whether I win or lose, the greatest thing is that I’m healthy and I get to do this, I have a big smile on my face.”

“My goal today was of course to get the double gold, but If I go for gold and I might end up with a bronze, so always go for the win and see where you end up after that.”

In the final event of the championships, the men’s 4x400m squad of Andrew Egan, Callum Baird, Joe Doody and David Mannion finished an impressive fifth place in a new national U23 record of 3:06.31.

The team qualified as one of the fastest non-automatic places in the morning session and held off fast-finishing Italy and Romania to take fifth in the final.

The race was won by Spain in a new championship record of 3:02.02.

In the women’s discus, major championship debutant Anna Gavigan placed eighth with a best throw of 51.16m. Gavigan had a consistent series to qualify for today’s final and was rewarded with a top-eight finish.

In the morning session, the men’s 4x100m squad of Max O’Reilly, Craig Duffy, Darragh Murphy and Emmanuel Akinrole finished fifth in heat two. This is the second fastest time ever by an U23 Irish squad with a 39.83 clocking. Sean Agiboboh was absent from the squad after pulling out from the semi-final of the men’s 100m for medical reasons.

The women’s 4x400m squad of Kate O’Connell, Victoria Amiadamen and Jenna Breen broke the national U23 record, taking 0.06 seconds off the time set in 2017, crossing the line in 3:34.81.

This rounds off the most successful U23 European championship ever for Ireland with five medals over the four days and a 14th-place finish on the medal table.