Irish athletes experienced mixed fortunes during the evening session of the opening day of the European Athletics Championships. Eric Favors kicked off the events, competing in the opening round of the men's shot put. However, it was a frustrating night for him as he narrowly missed out on qualifying from Group A for tomorrow night's final, falling short by just two places. His attempts measured 19.39, 19.46, and 19.60 meters.
Following Favors was Israel Olatunde, competing in the first round of the Men's 100m. He finished in third place, delivering a season's best performance of 10.31 seconds. This impressive result secured his spot in the first semi-final, scheduled for tomorrow at 9:10 pm.
However, the highlight of the night was undoubtedly the Mixed 4x400m Relay team's historic gold medal. Blistering performances by Chris O'Donnell, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr, and Sharlene Mawdsley in each leg of the relay secured the victory for Team Ireland. An incredible final split by Sharlene Mawdsley ensured that the win was never in doubt, with a finishing time of 3:09.92. The team set both a national and championship record in the process, marking the end of Ireland's 26-year gold medal famine at the European Athletics Championships since Sonia's double gold in '98.
The night concluded on a disappointing note for the final Irish athlete in action, Jodie McCann, who competed in the Women's 5000m final. She finished in 17th place, with a time of 15:12.37.