Gold glory for Cork's Niamh McCarthy at European Championships in Poland

CORK'S Niamh McCarthy brought the curtain down on a brilliant week for Irish Para-Athletics at the European Championships as she claimed a second gold medal for Team Ireland in Bydgoszcz in Poland.

The Carrigaline went into the final of the F41 Discus event as the defending champion and outright favourite to defend her crown and she did not disappoint. 

Despite a long wait for a major championship, she was able to produce a season’s best throw of 30:03m to win the gold medal in emphatic fashion.

The Leesider showed some rustiness with her earlier efforts recording only a 10.45m throw with her first effort but on her second throw she reached, 27:96m, a throw that would have secured the gold for McCarthy. 

However, the best was yet to come as the Cork star threw her season’s best” on her third effort and secure the win.

Speaking after the event, McCarthy said “It’s a good starting base I suppose really. Coming up my competition is quite intense internationally so there weren’t too many behind me and I know in Tokyo there will be but I know what I’m doing right now is working quite well so I just need to keep at it.” 

 McCarthy’s was the second podium of the day for Team Ireland following a silver medal performance by Michael McKillop. Team Ireland will return home with four medals in total thanks to McCarthy and McKillop along with gold won earlier this week by Greta Streimikyte and bronze from Mary Fitzgerald.