Team Ireland captured their first medal of the 2019 World University Games as Marcus Lawler (Institute of Technology Carlow) took the bronze medal in the final of the Men’s 200 Metres in the Stadio San Paulo in Napoli, this evening.

Lawler ran a fantastic bend and then continued to fight all the way up the home straight to claim a fantastic third place, in a time of 20.55. Paulo Andre Camilo took the gold for Brazil, with South African Chedrick Van Wyk coming home in second, with both of these athletes running personal bests in the final. Lawler improved his time from the semi-final by 0.18, as the Carlow native showed his progression through the rounds.

Marcus Lawler’s bronze medal is the first medal won in athletics since Thomas Barr took gold in 2015 in the 400 metres hurdles in Gwanju. The Men’s 200 Metres has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Team Ireland with Paul Hession winning silver in this event in 2003 in Daega, South Korea, and Hession also took bronze in 2005 in Izmir, Turkey. Lawler becomes the eighth male athlete to win a medal in athletics for Team Ireland in the World University Games.

Sarah Lavin (University College Dublin) was very unlucky to miss out on a medal in the 100 Metre Hurdles Final as she ran a time of 13.28 to finish just 0.19 away from the bronze medal. Lavin was in top form during the competition achieving two season best times during the heats and semi-finals.

Despite suffering a broken bone in her foot only twelves weeks ago Phil Healy (Waterford IT) came home in sixth place in the final of the Women’s 200 Metres. Healy wasn’t going to let the injury hold her back and continued limited training with the World University Games in her sights.