Nicola Tuthill strikes gold at European Throwing Cup

The Bandon native made history in Nicosia on Sunday morning.

Sun, 16 Mar, 2025 - 12:06

Cathal Dennehy

Nicola Tuthill has won Ireland its first ever gold medal at the European Throwing Cup, the 21-year-old Bandon native unleashing a 69.74m effort to take victory in the women’s U23 hammer in Nicosia, Cyprus, this morning.

Tuthill, who made the European final and competed at the Paris Olympics last summer, won silver in the same event in 2023 and 2024 but seized command of the competition with her opening effort of 67.86m, which she improved to 69.70m in round two. That left her clear of Sweden’s Thea Lofman (69.06m) and Germany’s Aileen Kuhn (67.25m). Her winning mark was just shy of her Irish U23 record of 70.32m from last May.

Oisín Joyce, the world U20 bronze medallist last year, added another medal to his CV by winning bronze in the U23 men’s javelin, the Mayo thrower launching a final-round effort of 73.86m, just 3cm shy of his best. Irish record holder Eric Favors finished ninth in the men’s shot put with a best of 19.10m.

On Saturday, Anna Gavigan won silver in the women’s U23 discus, unleashing a four-metre personal best of 53.91m, with gold going to France’s Marie Josee Bovele Linaka with 57.37m.

Meanwhile, both Mark English and Cian McPhillips have been ruled out of this week’s World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. Both had been due to make a quick turnaround after last weekend’s European Indoors in the Netherlands, but McPhillips – who fell in his 800m heat in Apeldoorn – has a stress fracture, while English withdrew due to illness.

English won his third European Indoor medal over 800m last week and had been in outstanding form throughout the indoor season, but posted on social media that he picked up an illness in Apeldoorn. “Massively disappointing for me personally, but I want to wish the Irish team and my fellow @fast8trackclub teammates the very best of luck,” he wrote.

It means the Irish team for Nanjing has been reduced to six, with recent European Indoor medallists Kate O’Connor and Sarah Healy the leading chances.

Healy will race a straight final in the 3000m next Saturday, the Dubliner ranked fourth based on her season’s best and Irish indoor record of 8:30.79, while O’Connor is ranked second in Friday’s pentathlon based on the Irish record of 4781 she scored to win a bronze in Apeldoorn – Ireland’s first senior multi-events medal at a major championships.

Andrew Coscoran is entered for the 1500m and 3000m, with Sarah Lavin – a two-time World Indoor finalist – going in the 60m hurdles. Sophie O’Sullivan will race over 1500m, with James Gormley in the 3000m.