'As elite athletes, you're always living next door to being absolutely f***ed'

Paul Robinson enjoyed a remarkable photo-finish victory in the 1500m at the national athletics championships. Reminding him just why he fell in love with the sport

Paul Robinson of St. Coca's AC, Kildare, left, crosses the finish line to win the Men's 1500m, ahead of Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC, Tipperary, right, who finished second, during the Irish Life Health National Senior and U23 Athletics Championships at Morton Stadium in Santry, last weekend. 

Sunday morning in Vienna, October 2019, and Paul Robinson is sitting with friends at an outdoor café, nursing a brain-shredding hangover.

He has come to the Austrian capital to see Eliud Kipchoge run a sub-two-hour marathon, which the Kenyan achieves with 1:59:40. The night before that race, Robinson had been out on the town until late night turned to early morning. The night after, more of the same.