Derval O'Rourke to enter athletics hall of fame

O'Rourke competed for Ireland at three Olympics — Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012.

Ireland's Derval O'Rourke celebrates with the Irish flag after wining gold in the 2006 World Indoor Championships, Moscow. Picture credit: Mark Shearman / SPORTSFILE

Decorated Cork hurdler Derval O'Rourke receive the Hall of Fame award at this year's Athletics Ireland awards ceremony in November.

The three-time Olympian will be honoured for an illustrious decade at the highest level of track and field, having broken onto the big stage breaking 13 seconds for the 100m hurdles in a fourth-place run at the European U23 Athletics Championships in Poland.

O'Rourke went on to compete for Ireland at three Olympics — Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012.

Among her medal haul are World Indoor gold at 60m hurdles in 2006, European silver medals in the 100m hurdles (2006 and 2010), along with bronze medals at the European Indoor Championships in 2009 and 2013 over the 60m.

Ireland's Derval O'Rourke, alongside Eline Berings, left, Belgium, and Nadine Hildebrand, Germany, on her way to finishing 4th in the semi-final of the Women's 60m Hurdles, qualifying for the final in a time of 8.00sec. 2013 European Indoor Athletics Championships, Scandinavium Arena, Gothenburg, Sweden. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

Though some would rank her finest performance as the fourth place run at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, setting a new Irish record of 12.67 seconds.

Here Irish indoor records over 50m (6.80+) and 60m (7.84) still stand, with her 2010 100m hurdles record of 12.65 only falling in 2023 to Sarah Lavin’s 12.62.

This year's ceremony will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s world record in the 4x1 mile relay (15:49.08), set on August 17th 1985, by Eamonn Coghlan, Ray Flynn, Frank O'Mara, and Marcus O'Sullivan.

Derval O’Rourke Achievements 

• Three-time Irish Olympian – Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 

• Silver – 100m Hurdles – European Championships 2006 (Gothenburg) 

• Gold – 60m Hurdles – World Indoor Championships 2006 (Moscow) 

• Bronze – 60m Hurdles – European Indoor Championships 2009 (Turin) 

• Fourth – 100m Hurdles – World Championships 2009 (Berlin) 

• Silver – 100m Hurdles – European Championships 2010 (Barcelona) 

• Bronze – 60m Hurdles – European Indoor Championships 2013 (Gothenburg)