Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Ireland's Fionnuala McCormack. Morgan Treacy/INPHO

McCormack makes history with 28th-place finish in Olympic marathon

The Wicklow native became Ireland’s first ever five-time female Olympian.

FIONNUALA McCORMACK MADE history in Paris this morning as she became Ireland’s first ever five-time female Olympian.

McCormack finished 28th in the women’s marathon in a season-best time of 2:30:12, recording her third consecutive top 30 finish at the Games.

The 39-year-old Wicklow native made her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Sifan Hassan took gold, a remarkable achievement on the back of her bronze medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m events.

The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete crossed in an Olympic record time of 2:22:55 after sprinting clear of Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa to win by three seconds.

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won bronze, with McCormack seven minutes and 17 seconds down on Hassan’s winning time.

“It wasn’t what I came here for. It was not what I envisaged at all,” McCormack told RTÉ.

“I feel like I never gave up but it wasn’t what I was hoping for really. I suppose (I was hoping for), minimum, better than I’d ever ran before and I was 20th in Rio, so I suppose better than that really.

“The course was great. We should have more courses like that maybe. Although at the end I think I would have nearly preferred more hills and less flat. I found the hills break it up and almost give you something to focus on, whereas when you’re on the flat it just feels like it’s going on forever.

“I hung on in there for as long as I could. On the first big hill I could feel I was gaining back into where I wanted to be but I don’t know, like I wasn’t in the race, which I was really hoping I would be this time.

“It’s hard when you’re in a race and just kind of watching everything move ahead of you, but the marathon is a bit like that and you have to just dig in and hold on as best you can and hopefully have something at the end to maybe make it respectable.”

McCormack was asked how she will reflect on becoming Ireland’s first ever five-time female Olympian.

“I suppose I can’t yet,” she said.

“It’s been mentioned a lot over the last while and to be honest most of the time it just makes me feel old, but I didn’t want to just be a participant in five Olympics, I wanted to perform, and I’m not sure I really did that today.

“I’ll look back on it eventually but at the moment it’s too soon. But out there on the course it was unbelievable, even the amount of people I could hear cheering for me from Wicklow and the amount of people that knew my name.

“You know it’s Irish people out there because so many people can’t pronounce my name and when I hear ‘Fionnuala’ I know I’m the only Fionnuala in the race and it is great to hear, even when you’re struggling, you almost up your game a bit because the support was unbelievable out there.”

Written by Ciarán Kennedy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.

Author
View 34 comments
Close
34 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Johnes
    Favourite John Johnes
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 12:19 PM

    My god do these people live in the same reality?

    Id love to see her singing the same song about climate nonsense if she would be on 30k a year needing to provide for her family renting out a house for 1.9k

    137
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute conriel
    Favourite conriel
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 1:44 PM

    @John Johnes: Well said If these people had to endure the pain they are enforcing on people the situation would be very different, This Government does not give a flying F*** IF a loaf of bread is 20 euro, they have made sure it wont effect them or their family or close friends. We’re is a downward spiral again and those with the so called experience are making life worse by the day, they simple do not have the intelligence and knowledge to run a country, God help us.

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe_X
    Favourite Joe_X
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 7:11 PM

    @both of ye.. ever think she is just reporting on the subject she is being paid for? It is like how ye give out about NPHET, but they were reporting on the subject they were being paid for, and government made the decisions.

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darren Mc Mahon
    Favourite Darren Mc Mahon
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 12:20 PM

    “Better balance” down the road perhaps but right now it’s a real struggle for those living in the real world.

    79
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael McGrath
    Favourite Michael McGrath
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 2:05 PM

    The whole thing is a load of sheight anyway net zero. Net zero means we may still have the same carbon output but we have offset it by having more electric cars and windmills. In other words industrial carbon can remain the same but the plebs have to drive mad expensive electric cars, cycle or walk to work and retrofit their homes mostly at their own expense. Surely even the most ardent climate activist must see through the fact that all the measures are aimed at the small sinner rather than the large industrial abuser

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown
    Favourite Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown
    Report
    Apr 13th 2022, 12:59 PM

    Agree with the goals, but for now, more RealLife™ advices would be good.

    15
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds