Rarely has outlook been so bright for Irish athletics

Ireland now have two genuine, realistic medal contenders for Paris, 11 months out

ANOTHER BRIGHT SPOT: The Ireland women's 4x400m relay team, from left, Sophie Becker, Kelly McGrory, Roisin Harrison and Sharlene Mawdsley. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

At an event as big as the World Athletics Championships, with over 2,000 athletes, from 200 nations, the conversations you have while standing around, waiting to interview athletes, teach you an awful lot. At this grade, in a global sport, Ireland is a tiny speck of sand in a Sahara-sized landscape, one inhabited by the speediest, strongest humans in existence.

Maybe it’s the hulking, explosive power of Ryan Crouser, the best shot putter in history, who can squat 700lbs yet also run a 4.8-second 40-metre sprint – all needed to throw a metal sphere the weight of a bowling ball the length of a tennis court.