Derval smashes Irish record but lands just outside medals

SHE might have only just missed out on a medal, but star athlete Derval O’Rourke shone brightly at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin with a new Irish record.

Corkwoman O’Rourke finished fourth in the final of the women’s 100 metre hurdles and smashed the existing Irish record with a time of 12.67 seconds.

Earlier yesterday, the Leevale athlete finished fourth in her semi-final in what was for her a season’s best of 12.72 seconds.

In the final, Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica won; Priscilla Lopes-Schleip came second; and Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica took bronze, 12 hundreths of a second ahead of O’Rourke.

“I’m so gutted not to get a medal. I had no idea where I was. It is a national record and I’m the fourth best in the world so I can’t complain,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ballinteer athlete David Gillick was delighted to reach the final of the 400 metres.

“I’m over the moon. I don’t care what’s going to happen now,” he said. “I’m in the top eight in the world. I’m going to go out and enjoy myself.”

Athenryman Paul Hession, however, failed to reach the 200m final after finishing sixth in the second semi-final in a time of 20.48 seconds.