Big ambitions: Irish Olympian Sarah Lavin, pictured with Phelim Macken Limerick Sports Partnership and Mary O’Connor Federation of Irish Sport
- Irish Daily Mail, 13.11.24
- By MARK GALLAGHER For more info or to submit a nomination, visit www.volunteersinsport.ie ie
IRISH hurdling star Sarah Lavin believes that the Volunteers in Sport Awards, which she launched in Limerick yesterday, is a chance to highlight those who ‘want recognition the least, but deserve it the most’.
Lavin, who reached the 100m hurdles semi-final in Paris this summer, pointed out that every Irish athlete that becomes an Olympian would not have made it without the thankless and exhausting hours put in by volunteers everywhere, which includes her own long-time coach Noelle Morrissey.
‘I am sure every Olympian has the same story,’ says the Limerick native, who was flag-bearer alongside Shane Lowry at the opening ceremony in Paris. ‘They wouldn’t have got to where they were without the volunteers, putting in countless hours, at training and doing paperwork and setting up races or matches. And they are doing it for no gain themselves and so often, they are the ones who want recognition the least, but deserve it the most.
‘Across the country, every weekend, there are thousands of kids setting off on their sporting journey, whether it is GAA, basketball or athletics. Whatever it is, and they wouldn’t be able to do it without the volunteers, who are giving their time.’
Reflecting on a season where she came fifth in the world indoors and reached the Olympic semi-final, Lavin says that it has left her wanting more. ‘I am not far away. There are a few things that need fine-tuning, but I don’t think I am too far away from winning that first medal on a global stage. To make the word indoor final and to finish fifth last year — the girl who finished fourth [Masai Russell of the US] won the Olympic final — that was a great boost and it gave me the confidence to say I belong here. I ran a few personal bests, 12.62 this year too, got invites to Diamond League races, where there are only eight lanes, so that shows that you are mixing it with the elite. So, on the whole, it was a good year. It’s just from a High Performance perspective, I felt the Olympics could have gone a little better. But I know what I need to work on, what I have to get better at.’
She recently signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas that will bring her up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which she considers another boost to her confidence, while next season is about the three major championships, the European indoors in the Netherlands in March followed by the World indoors in China and culminating in the World Championships in Tokyo next September, when she will return to the stadium where she made her Olympic debut during the Covid games of 2021.
‘It is great to be going back to that stadium, because it deserves a full crowd and it will get that next year,’ says Lavin, who is heading to South Africa next week for a month-long training camp with the Dutch squad, including Nadine Visser, who finished fourth in Paris, ahead of next season. ‘It is great to work in that high-pressure and high-intensity environment for a month, and not worry about anything but eat, sleep and train.’
*Nominations for the 2024 Volunteers in Sport Awards are open now until Tuesday, December 17. Members of the public are encouraged to nominate deserving volunteers from their club or sporting organisation who have made a significant contribution or impact to their local club or community.