Sarah Lavin has firmly established herself as a powerhouse in the 100m hurdles in Ireland, clinching nine senior titles and the Irish national record in the discipline over the past decade. As she competes in her second Olympic Games, Lavin's consistent performances on both national and international stages have made her a standout athlete in Irish athletics.
Early Life
Hailing from Lisnagry in Limerick, Sarah Lavin's athletic journey began early. She dabbled in various sports during her childhood but found her true calling in athletics at the age of seven when she joined the Emerald Athletics Club. Under the expert guidance of her coach, Noelle Morrissey, Lavin's potential in the 100m hurdles quickly became apparent. In 2010 she won the All-Ireland u17 100m hurdles. The following year she won her first major international medal - a bronze at the 2011 European Youth Olympics in Turkey.
Lavin continued to progress into the junior ranks, winning nationals and qualifying for major championships. At the world u20 championships she reached the semi-finals in the hurdles. A year later (2013) she won a silver medal at the European u20 Championships and claimed her first senior national 100m hurdles title at just 19 years old.
University Years & Tokyo Olympics
As an Ad Astra student at UCD Sarah studied Physiotherapy and benefited from the high performance set up. This enabled her to maintain a successful balance between athletics and study. During this time she added two national 100m hurdles titles to her repertoire along with her first appearance at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.
In 2019, with her fifth national title under her belt, the quest to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics began. COVID-19 derailed all athletes plans. Nevertheless her 100m hurdles performances in the 2021 season including a sixth national title and a personal best of 12.95 at a meet in Spain in June were enough to see Lavin qualify for the rescheduled Tokyo games.
Despite the promising form however, Lavin did not advance from her heat, finishing 7th with a time of 13.16. The false start did not help her cause. Speaking to the Irish Sun after the race, Lavin reflected: “It’s disappointing, there’s no other way around it… Hopefully I’ll be back for Paris in 2024 and I definitely want to be better than I was here”.
Post Tokyo: National Records, European Bronze & Paris Qualification
Undeterred by disappointment in Tokyo, Lavin delivered some of the best performances of her career in subsequent seasons. In 2022, she continued her dominance in the 100m hurdles nationally, winning her seventh senior title. At the World Championships in Oregon, she narrowly missed qualifying for the final but she did make the final at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, finishing in 5th place.
In 2023, Lavin's trajectory continued to ascend. After a final appearance at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Lavin clinched bronze at the European Games in Poland in June. She then retained her national senior title in the 100m hurdles and, for the first time, won the 100m national title at Santry at the end of that month.
In July, at the Monaco Diamond League Lavin clinched automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with an impressive personal best of 12.74. A month later, she continued her stellar form by qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Although her journey ended in the semi-finals, Lavin broke Derval O’Rourke’s national record for the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.62
Lavin’s cracking form continued right up to the end of the season, culminating in another Irish national record, with a 100m time of 11.27 at a meet in Switzerland. This achievement capped a superb season for the Limerick athlete.
Olympic Year: A 9th National Title & Impressive Form
Securing Olympic qualification in July 2023 allowed Sarah to focus on fine-tuning her performance and strategy in preparation for Paris during the 2024 season. After an impressive indoor season, where she clinched the national title and made at the final at the World Indoors in Glasgow, Lavin launched her outdoor campaign at the Diamond League in Qatar, where she once again surpassed the Olympic standard. Reflecting on her form ahead of the European Athletics Championships in June, Lavin told RTÉ: "I think I'm running faster than I ever have before."
At the recent European Championships, Lavin delivered an excellent performance in her heat and finished seventh in the final, unfortunately clipping a hurdle during the race. She quickly bounced back, winning the 100m hurdles at the Paavo Nurmi Games with a season’s best of 12.66.
Later that month Lavin secured her ninth national title in the 100m hurdles in Santry. She did however, cede her 100m national title to a record-breaking performance by Rhasidat Adeleke.
Her excellent form continued with wins in the 100m hurdles at both the Morton Games and the Cork City Sports meet, capping off her preparations on home soil ahead of the Paris Games.
Conclusion
As Sarah Lavin approaches the 2024 Paris Olympics, her superb form over the past two seasons reflects a relentless drive and unwavering dedication.
Her consistent performances, including breaking national records and securing multiple national titles, have established her as a leading figure in Irish athletics.
With her eyes set on Paris, Lavin is ready to build further on a decade of excellence and make her mark on the Olympic stage.
We wish her every success.