LAST UPDATE | 17 Aug 2022
FORMER NATIONAL 100m record holder Paul Hession says it was “fantastic” to see Israel Olatunde become the fastest man in Ireland after his superb run at the European Championships in Munich.
Olatunde became the new Irish 100m record-holder after clocking a time of 10.17 in the final last night to eclipse Hession’s previous time of 10.18 which he set in 2007. It was the ultimate sign-off for the 20-year-old Olatunde who previously earned a new PB in the heats, before going on to become the first Irish athlete to progress to the 100m final at the European Championships.
His sixth-placed finish in the final was all the more impressive given that he was running in burst spikes.
Hession is a native of Galway but currently resides in Perth where he works as an anaesthetist. He has been tracking the progress of the talented Olatunde, and was confident that an extraordinary result on the way.
“I checked the result at about 4am or 5am but I didn’t get to see the race until today after work,” he tells The42. “It was a great run; he really executed his race excellently. He kept the head and came through strong in the end – brilliant run.
“I was following him during the year and keeping an eye out for his results and he was very consistent so I was thinking he might do something big. It was hard to tell because he was winning a lot of races all year so it was hard to know how he’d manage the step up to running against the best in Europe and the Olympic champion.
“He ran really well in his heat, was really strong, looked great and ran a personal best there. He kept it going right through the championships and he’s so consistent which is great to see. And to pull out those extra few hundreths in the final is a really good sign for the future. He’s a really good competitor when it matters and I love to see that.”
During Hession’s running career, he recalls breaking Irish sprinting records that were less than a decade old and considering those to be long-standing feats. In ways, he was surprised to see his 10.18 hold the top spot for 15 years, but was thrilled to see Olatunde take over as Ireland’s new king of the 100m event at a major championships.
“Records are there to be broken,” says Hession.
“If you were to pick a scenario where your record is broken, you want it to be someone running in the final of a European Championships. You don’t want them to be broken in a race that doesn’t matter as much. I was delighted for him. It was pretty obvious that he was going to break the record in the next year or two. It’s great that he did it at the Europeans, and to come sixth is fantastic.”
A historic evening as Israel Olatunde runs a new Irish 100m record to finish 6th in the European final, a race won by Italy's Marcell Jacobs #Munich2022 pic.twitter.com/1WHURBb8ZM
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2022
“When I ran 10.18, I was expecting to run quicker so you just don’t know when you’re going to run your fastest and how long it’s going to last. When I was running, I was breaking records that were six or seven years old and I thought they were old records at the time.
“So, it’s amazing that my record lasted for 15 years and the same with my other records [60m and 200m] that are still standing. It’s hard to believe that they’ve lasted so long with the advances in sprint, spike technology and coaching methods.
“It’s about time that it’s broken.”
Olatunde’s result is the latest incredible milestone in a golden era for sprinting in Ireland. And there could be more to celebrate this evening as teenage sensation Rhasidat Adeleke prepares to compete in the final of the 400m.
As for Olatunde and where the trajectory of his running career could take him, Hession anticipates further success and possible a place in an Olympic final down the tracks.
“I think the key thing is that he’s 20 years of age. That’s just amazing. When I think back to when I was 20 and the developing I still had to do, if he’s able to stay injury free and keep doing what he’s doing… He has to absorb this, enjoy it and once the season is over, forget about it and target the world championships next year.
“Who knows? I just missed out on making an Olympic final but I think he certainly has the potential to make an Olympic final and win European medals in the future. Why not?
“And we have some great individual talents like Rhasidat [Adeleke] and people are very aware now of her abilities. Who knows how far she can go if she stays injury free, and keeps it going. It’s amazing and it’s in a good place. Hopefully it stays like that.
“It’s great to see, and the depth as well. We didn’t really have that in my day. We had one or two individuals who were running pretty well: the David Gillicks and Derval O’Rourkes of this world. But now we have a bit more depth and we’re able to produce relay teams. And the mixed relay coming on board has been really good as well to give people a focus or target in a major championship to play for.
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