Paul McNamara: 'We’re in a better place than we have been for a long time, the aspiration for global medals is very real'

Kate O'Connor won her second medal in two weeks and Ireland's first ever global medal in the multi-events.

SILVER: Kate O'Connor won silver at the World Indoor Championships in the pentathlon. Pic: Sportsfile

It’s almost eight years since Paul McNamara was appointed High Performance Director for Athletics Ireland, and while he’s overseen a steadily rising tide in that time, there’s been some global championships where Irish athletes didn't truly make a dent.

Sometimes it was due to a lack of world-class firepower in their ranks. Other times it was due to under-performances. But at the World Indoors in Nanjing over the weekend, the Irish went with the talent to make an impact and did just that.