Israel Olatunde happy to spearhead Irish sprint revolution

It took Israel Olatunde 10.19 seconds to turn heads at the Olympiastadion yesterday morning and Ireland’s 100m hopeful needed even less again to sum up the significance of the run

THROUGH: Israel Olatunde of Ireland celebrates after winning his Men's 100m heat during day 5 of the European Championships 2022 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

It took Israel Olatunde 10.19 seconds to turn heads at the Olympiastadion yesterday morning and Ireland’s 100m hopeful needed even less again to sum up the significance of a run that confirmed all the positive vibes about his potential prior to these European Championships.

“It was kind of a blur,” he explained after the third of the day’s heats, “but when I crossed the line I looked over, saw 10.1 and was like, ‘yep, that’s good’. That’s where it matters – to produce your best at championships. I’m happy to come out with the win, but now it’s all about the semi-finals.”