Final flourish for relay team and McCarthy

The Irish sprang into action at the European U23 Athletics Championships with the men’s 4x400m relay team and Sarah McCarthy in the long jumping making respective finals with classy performances.

It was the men’s 4x400m team of Craig Newell (Ballymena & Antrim), Harry Purcell (Trim), Karl Griffin (UCD) and Andrew Mellon (Crusaders) who were first on track in the semi-finals of the relay.

Newell started the team out handing over to Purcell who took the baton sweetly into his left hand before switching to his right to run an aggressive leg to hand over to Griffin. The Donegal 800m specialist held form and ran a good last 150m to hand over to Mellon who ran a rapid first 200m to close the gap on the Italians in third. He ran a tactically savvy leg and was just short of automatic qualification.

Their time of 3:07.63 was swift though and it proved more than enough to qualify them as fourth fastest qualifiers.

Not to be outdone Sarah McCarthy (Mid Sutton) went out on to the runway for the women’s long jump and nailed it on her first attempt jumping 6.33m – a new personal best and comfortably further than the 6.23m qualifying distance.

You can watch video interviews with the relay team and McCarthy on the Athletics Ireland Facebook page HERE

This evening the women’s 800m final awaits with Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (DSD) and Alanna Lally (UCD) competing.