'I’ll be honest: this is a joke' - Irish 4x400m relay side dissatisfied with World U20 final result

They came home in seventh in Peru on Saturday night. 

The men's 4x400m team at World U20s in Lima. 

It speaks volumes about the rising tide in Irish athletics that a 4x400m relay team can walk off the track and feel dissatisfied with seventh place in a global final, but that was the case for Conor Kelly, David Davitt, Sean Doggett and Stephen Mannion at the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, on Saturday night.

They clocked 3:09.73 to finish seventh in the nine-team final, with gold going to the US in 3:03.56 ahead of South Africa (3:05.22) and Australia (3:05.53). Kelly was particularly dissatisfied, but adamant he would come back stronger, the 17-year-old still eligible for the next edition in 2026.