Efrem Gidey took 12th in last night European 10,000 in Rome. The Clonliffe man ran very positively right up until about two thirds way in. The early pace was slow, Efrem position himself very nicely up in 3rd place and indeed was looking very comfortable as the place started to stretch out however the pace then slowed again which did not suit Efrem and then with 2000 to go the pace picked up dramatically and Efrem was clearly in a bit of bother. He slipped back through the field but hung in to take 12th position in a time of 28.16.94, although he was clearly very disappointed he will benefit enormously from the experience.
From an Irish team perspective it has been a glittering European track and field championships. The profile of the sport is now huge which is extremely positive. 2 gold medals courtesy of Ciara Mageean and the 4 x 400 mixed relay squad and 2 silvers by Rhasidat Adeleke and the women’s 4 x 400 squad made it the best ever championship performance from team Ireland. Huge congratulations to the entire team, athletes, coaches, the backroom team and of course the magnificent Irish supporters. It has been an exceptionally proud week for our sport.
