Claire McCarthy and Mick Clohisey lead the Irish effort

Saturday night may have brought about an air of gloom over the London Stadium, but Irish eyes were smiling once again at the World Championships yesterday after an array of strong performances.

Leevale’s Claire McCarthy defied her age and ranking to finish 33rd of the 91 athletes in the women’s marathon in 2:38:26, and the 41-year-old mother of four was understandably elated afterwards.

“I have to be happy,” said Walsh, who is coached by former Olympic marathoner Donie Walsh. “The last half was really tough when your body is screaming at you, but it was about looking up the road and seeing who was coming back.