Cork hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill aims high: Every year you’re getting stronger, faster, your technique is improving

Tuthill has quietly, steadily developed into a world-class thrower in recent years and is ready to make a mark at the European Championships

WORLD IN HER HANDS: Nicola Tuthill has raised her ceiling this season but can it yield a medal at the European Championships? Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

There’s an accepted wisdom in athletics that consistency is the precursor to a big breakthrough. If you just keep tapping away, week after week, then one day that wall will crumble.

Few in Irish athletics are as consistent as Nicola Tuthill. The 22-year-old Cork hammer thrower has competed seven times this year and thrown over 70 metres every time, her best being the 72.73m she threw in Poznan, Poland, to defeat three-time Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk.