European Athletics Championships – Birmingham – Day 7, August 16
Women’s 1500m Final: Ireland's Sarah Healy and Sophie O'Sullivan
Sarah Healy and Cork's Sophie O’Sullivan brought the curtain down on an outstanding seven days for Team Ireland with two top-eight finishes in the women’s 1500m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
On a night when defending European 1500m champion Ciara Mageean was front of mind for many Irish supporters, Healy (UCD AC) and O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh AC) ensured there was once again a significant Irish presence at the sharp end of a European final.
In a physical and tactical race which featured plenty of jostling for position, Healy battled her way to fifth place in 4:10.76, adding another outstanding result to the fourth place she secured in the 5000m earlier in the championships.
O’Sullivan also produced an excellent performance to cross the line eighth in 4:11.72, ensuring two Irish athletes finished inside the European top eight.
The European title went to Great Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell in 4:07.78, with Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska claiming silver in 4:08.80 and Portugal's Patricia Silva taking bronze in 4:09.22.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport after the race, Healy said: “Fifth is fine. I pretty much did what I wanted to do, but there was a bit of a gap and I just wasn’t quite in the right position to get onto it.
“I really wanted to commit with 300 metres to go today and I felt like I did, but I just wasn’t quite on that group.
"I think I positioned myself quite well throughout the race, maybe just not at that exact moment when the move was made. The girls are so quick and once they got away, that was it.
“I’ve done a lot this week. I’m definitely not satisfied, but fourth in the 5000m and fifth in the 1500m is decent.
"This year has been challenging for me, so I’m proud of myself for getting here, but I’m not satisfied. It has clicked before and it will again.
Earlier on Sunday, Ireland's marathoners faced a difficult final morning of competition in Birmingham.
Fionnuala McCormack (Kilcoole AC) lined up in the women's marathon but was forced to withdraw shortly after the 10km mark in what was a rare DNF for the vastly experienced Irish athlete.
Finland's Alisa Vainio claimed the European title in a championship record of 2:22:26.
In the men's marathon, Paul O'Donnell (Dundrum South Dublin AC) was the sole Irish finisher, crossing the line in 2:20:41 for 43rd place.
David McGlynn (Waterford AC) was forced to retire after 25km, while Ryan Creech (Leevale AC) was unable to take his place on the start line due to a medical issue.
Germany's Amanal Petros claimed the men's European marathon title in 2:09:11.
Day 7 Results Summary (Aug 16th):
Fionnuala McCormack – Women’s Marathon – Final – DNF Paul O'Donnell – Men’s Marathon – Final - 2:20.41 (43rd) Ryan Creech – Men's Marathon – Final – DNS David McGlynn – Men's Marathon – Final – DNF Sarah Healy – Women’s 1500m – Final – 4:10.76 (5th) Sophie O’Sullivan - Women’s 1500m – Final – 4:11.72 (8th)
The conclusion of the women's 1500m brought the curtain down on an exceptional seven days which saw the Irish team deliver unprecedented depth of performance on the European stage.
Ireland leaves Birmingham with four individual medals – two gold, one silver and one bronze.
Mark English (Finn Valley AC) produced a tactically superb performance to become the first Irish male athlete to win an individual European outdoor title, claiming 800m gold in 1:45.26.
Kate O'Connor (Dundalk St Gerard's AC) followed with a magnificent victory in the heptathlon, producing the highest heptathlon score of her career with 6,751 points NR, while Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) claimed 200m silver in an Irish record of 22.28.
Andrew Coscoran (Star of the Sea AC) completed the medal haul with a brilliant bronze in the men's 1500m, securing his first senior major outdoor championship medal.
English also delivered one of the standout performances of the entire championships in his 800m semi-final, clocking 1:43.49 to break the European Championships record which had stood since 1978.
The 43.13 national record produced by Lucy-May Sleeman, Ciara Neville, Sarah Leahy and Lauren Roy in the women's 4x100m were further outlined the quality of Ireland's performances across the week.
Perhaps just as significantly as the medal haul was the depth of performance throughout the Irish team.
Ireland recorded 15 top-ten finishes in Birmingham, compared with 10 at the 2024 European Championships in Rome, while the number of top-16 performances increased from 17 in Rome to 21 in Birmingham.
Among those narrowly outside the medals were Healy, who finished fourth in the 5000m and fifth in the 1500m; Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC), who secured a career-best senior major championship finish of fifth in the hammer; and David Kenny (Farranfore-Maine Valley AC), who finished sixth in the half marathon race walk on his debut over the distance.
Both Irish 4x100m teams also reached their respective European finals, finishing seventh, while Sophie O'Sullivan secured eighth in the 1500m and Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) remarkably battled to eighth in the 5000m despite losing a shoe with three laps remaining.
Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock AC) secured 10th in the shot put, Jack O'Leary (Mullingar Harriers) raced his way from 17th at halfway to 10th in the 10,000m, while the men's 4x400m team finished 10th overall with the third-fastest performance in Irish history.
The performances in Birmingham continue a significant acceleration in Ireland's medal success at European Championships.
Across the 56 years from 1958 to 2014, Ireland claimed 13 European outdoor medals. In the ten years from 2016 to 2026, Irish athletes have now won 12.
Prior to Birmingham, only two Irish athletes had ever won individual European outdoor titles – Sonia O'Sullivan and Ciara Mageean.
O'Sullivan won the 3000m title in 1994 before completing a famous 5000m and 10,000m double in 1998, while Mageean became European 1500m champion in Rome in 2024.
In the space of just three days in Birmingham, that exclusive list doubled from two athletes to four.
English became Ireland's first male individual European outdoor champion with his 800m triumph before O'Connor added her name to the history books with heptathlon gold.
English's victory was also his sixth European medal across indoor and outdoor championships, moving him clear as Ireland's most decorated European track championship athlete.
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