Updated at 19.10
HAVING WON JUST two medals at the World U20 Championships in the past three decades, Ireland has doubled its tally in the space of 24 hours after 17-year-old Sommer Lecky claimed a sensational silver in the high jump final.
The teenager added four centimetres to her lifetime best in Tampere, clearing the 1.90 metre mark, to cap a remarkable couple of weeks for Irish athletics.
Following on from the silver medal won by the women’s 4x100m relay team yesterday, Lecky set a new U20 national record with a brilliant performance, finishing second only behind Bulgaria’s Karyna Taranda.
Lecky was in sensational form all week and narrowly missed out on clearing the 1.92 metre mark, but it was still a historic day for the teenager.
Antoine Burke was the last athlete to win a medal in the high jump at this level in 1994, and Lecky’s performances earns Ireland their fourth ever medal at the championships.
The medals are confirmed in the women’s high jump 🔥
— IAAF (@iaaforg) July 15, 2018
🥇Taranda 🇧🇾 1.92m
🥈Lecky 🇮🇪 1.90m
🥉Murillo 🇨🇴 1.90m
Taranda now attempting 1.95m #IAAFworlds pic.twitter.com/73XUjdNNgy
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