Derval O’Rourke ran an Irish record and personal best time of 12.65 seconds on her way to a silver medal in the final of the women’s 100 metre hurdles in Barcelona on Saturday night.
O’Rourke was pipped to the gold medal by Turkish runner Nevin Yarat, who finished just 0.02 seconds in front of O’Rourke, setting a new personal best and a Turkish record in the process. Germany’s Carolin Nytra finished in third place to take the bronze medal.
Despite missing out on the gold medal, O’Rourke was delighted with her achievement. Speaking after the race, the Cork athlete said, “It’s unbelievable. I think when I look back on my career whenever it ends, the only thing that will count is medals because they go into the history books and can’t be taken away.â€
“I’d love to be champion but I ran a personal best and can’t ask for any more. That was absolutely 100% all I had and I’m over the moon. I love putting on the Irish kit and going out there and running my absolute best,†she added.
O’Rourke has previously won a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow and a silver medal at the European Championships in Gothenburg, both in 2006.
