Darragh McElhinney: 'To win team gold on home soil, you couldn’t write it'

McElhinney brought a rapturous noise from the 7,000-strong crowd as he hit the front approaching the final lap of the men’s 8000m event at the Sport Ireland Campus

Sun, 12 Dec, 2021 - 15:59

Cathal Dennehy

Darragh McElhinney produced the star performance by the Irish at the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin today, the 21-year-old Cork star taking silver in the U23 race and leading the Irish men to team gold.

McElhinney brought a rapturous noise from the 7,000-strong crowd as he hit the front approaching the final lap of the men’s 8000m event at the Sport Ireland Campus, but in the end he found Britain’s Charles Hicks too strong, the Glengariff native nonetheless elated with his silver.

“I’m absolutely buzzing,” he said. “We knew we were within a medal shot but that was just scandalous. I’d have loved to win it but Charles is unbelievably strong. To win team gold on home soil, you couldn’t write it. The last few years I’ve had horrible results at cross country and I wondered if I was going to keep doing it, but I’ve put in the best training block I’ve ever done and it’s all come together.”

McElhinney was backed up by Keelan Kilrehill in sixth, the Sligo athlete capping a superb comeback after a bicycle crash in recent years in which he broke his neck. He was followed close behind by Michael Power in 13th, their points tally of 21 handing them victory by three points over Britain (24) and France (36).

Team Ireland, from left, Thomas Devaney, Darragh McElhinney, Keelan Kilrehill, Donal Devane, Jamie Battle, and Michael Power celebrate with their gold medals. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

There was team silver for the Irish in the men’s U20 race, where Abdel Laadjel led them home in sixth with Dean Casey 13th and Nick Griggs 16th, Ireland losing out by just one point to Britain in the battle for gold with a tally of 35 points.

In the senior races, there was another outstanding performance from two-time champion Fionnuala McCormack, who toed the line just seven days after racing the Valencia Marathon. The 37-year-old again found all her class and courage to crack the top-10, coming home ninth in 27:52 in a race won by Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal of Norway (26:34). Eilish Flanagan was next in for the Irish in 15th with Aoibhe Richardson 23rd, the Irish team coming home fourth.

In the senior men’s race Brian Fay produced an outstanding performance to finish 10th, the Dubliner slicing through the field over the latter half, with national champion Hiko Tonosa 13th and Cormac Dalton 28th.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen lived up to his favourite’s billing and claimed his first European senior cross country title with a commanding performance, the Olympic 1500m champion powering away from defending champion Aras Kaya of Turkey on the final lap.

There was heartbreak for the Irish quartet in the mixed relay, with Ciara Mageean and Luke McCann powering them to a decent advantage at the halfway point of the 4x1500m race. However that lead soon dwindled on the third leg after an inspired run by Britain’s Alex Bell saw her move them to the front ahead of Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner. Andrew Coscoran couldn’t fend off the challenge of France and Belgium in the battle for the silver and bronze and the Irish were forced to settle for fourth.

In the U23 women’s race, Sarah Healy made a bold bid for a medal but the 20-year-old just fell short, coming home fifth in a race won by Italy’s Nadia Battocletti. The Irish team finished fifth.

Aoife McGreevy was the leading Irish finisher in the women’s U20 race, coming home 23rd and just in front of Emma McEvoy in 24th, with national champion Jane Buckley 30th.