In perhaps a reflection of the sheer quality on show, Israel Olatunde was pressed to the wire in qualifying for the final of the 100 metres on day one of the European Under-23 Athletics Championships in Finland, only he’s there and that’s plenty good for now.
The Irish record holder, who ran 10.17 seconds when making the European senior final in Munich last summer, clocked a season best of 10.32 to finish fourth in the first semi-final in Espoo. With only the first three automatic qualifiers, that meant waiting until after the second semi-final, with Olatunde’s time just about nailing that eighth and last spot.
There were no such worries for Jack Raftery, who claimed his automatic spot in Friday’s 400m final after running a superb personal best of 45.89 to finish third, improving the 46.17 he ran last summer.
Nicola Tuthill also earned an automatic qualifying spot in the final of the hammer, also set for Friday (5.45pm). The Bandon woman went straight through with her first and only throw of 66.23 metres.
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Olatunde is familiar with some of his opposition in Espoo. Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, who won bronze in Munich summer, winning that semi-final in a [then] championship record of 10.04 seconds. However, the big Dutch hope Raphael Bouju then bettered that in the second semi-final, dipping over the line in 10.01, suggesting sub-10 seconds may be required to win on Friday (6.50pm).
Raftery will feel he can go quicker again, the Donore Harriers athlete, like Olatunde, easing through his heat earlier in the day. Victory in his semi-final went to Attila Molner from Hungary, in 45.35, who made up the stagger on Raftery on the backstretch, giving him something to chase.
That gold medal already looks to have a name on it: Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen. Still only 20, Ingvaldsen won the second semi-final in 45.36 despite coming to a standstill on the line. He is already the fastest Norwegian 400m runner of all-time, usurping Karsten Warholm with the 44.86 he ran to finish fourth at the Bislett Games.
It wasn’t to be however for Reece Ademola in the long jump, the Leevale athlete who last summer produced a brilliant Irish under-20 record of 7.83m to make the World U20 final in Colombia. His third round best of 6.99m left him ninth in his qualifying group, short of the 12-man final.
In later action, Ava O’Connor also made the final of the 3,000m steeplechase, finishing seventh in her semi-final in a new lifetime best of 10:02.92.
