'I'm in the shape of my life' — Ireland's Sarah Lavin ready to take on the world 

Limerick sprinter will be in action at World Athletics Championships on Saturday and has broken her personal best three times this summer

Sarah Lavin preparing for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Lavin has broken her personal best three times this summer and his hoping to do so again. Picture: Inpho/Morgan Treacy

"It’s a dream,” says Sarah Lavin, sitting in the athletes’ accommodation in Eugene, across the road from Hayward Field – one of the most historic stadiums in world athletics. “I’m literally living my dream.” 

This is the 28-year-old’s first World Championships, but by now the Limerick sprint hurdler is a seasoned campaigner at this level, having competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year and reached the world indoor final in Belgrade in March. For a long time, as injury ravaged her career through much of her 20s, a stage like this seemed so unlikely. Best believe Lavin is taking it all in, knowing nothing is ever guaranteed in the years ahead.