Darragh McElhinney came agonisingly close to securing a medal at the European indoors this afternoon, falling just short as he came in fourth place in the 3000m final.
It was a brilliant performance from the Cork native, who looked to have timed his push perfectly on the last lap after a well-executed race. However, he would just run out of track as he was chasing down Serbia's Elzan Bibic for third.
In the end, he had to settle for fourth.
Darragh McElhinney comes agonisingly close to a medal in the 3000m final at the European Indoors Athletics Championships pic.twitter.com/b9mMuyEeKC
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 5, 2023
Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen would win the race, with Spain's Adel Mechaal taking the silver.
It was a top performance from McElhinney, who was ranked ninth-fastest of the 15 runners in the final.
Darragh McElhinney heartbroken after finish fourth at Europeans
While he can be very proud of what he produced in the race, Darragh McElhinney was heartbroken to have missed out on a medal by such a narrow margin.
Speaking to RTÉ after the race, it was clear to see how devastated he was.
A dejected Darragh McElhinney is lost for words in disappointment after coming to close to a medal in the 3000m final at the European indoors. pic.twitter.com/FvuIeblOGs
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 5, 2023
I just can't believe it to be honest. I'm so speechless, for the first time in my life.
I'm sorry, I know this is going to be the worst interview ever. I just don't know what to say. I can't believe I came so close...
I knew Jakob [Ingebrigtsen] was going to die to a certain degree, that is what happened. I timed it perfectly really, well nearly perfectly.
If I had gone a little bit earlier, but then again I wouldn't be as fresh as I was in the last lap.
When I moved into fourth down the back straight, I thought it was there...
It's just a bit gutting.
While it will take time to get over this one, Darragh McElhinney will no doubt build on this performance in the future.
He can certainly be proud of his efforts.
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