“When I heard them announce that I was third, I was delighted”
Ellis McHugh of Team Ireland celebrates with her bronze medal after finishing third in the girls 400m hurdles final at Todor Proeski National Arena during the 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Skopje, North Macedonia. Photos: Sportsfile/Tyler Miller
Waterford and Ferrybank AC’s Ellis McHugh claimed a brilliant bronze medal at the European Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje, North Macedonia. Competing in the Girls’ 400m hurdles, McHugh cruised up the final straight in third place in Friday’s final in a time of 59.25.
After securing her place in the final with a first-round heat win, McHugh raced in lane seven for the final, where she finished behind Mira Hirsbrunner of Sweden, who took gold, while Emma Juntenen of Finland landed silver.
Speaking after the race, the bronze medallist said: “I think I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be initially coming out. I was thinking of everybody who ran before. I'm glad I even got here. It's a bonus to be in the final, so I thought, just don't be nervous. Go out, do what I can. And I did that. I tried to do that anyway.
“I tried to get out hard, knowing that I was in lane seven. I couldn't see a lot of people behind me, but I knew at least I had one girl to chase outside me, which I prefer. And then I just tried to stay relaxed, running down the back straight, and kind of wind up for the second bend, hopefully, and then kick at the end of what I had left, which I tried to do.”
“Then coming off the second bend, you can kind of tell where you're coming a little bit more, and I could tell I was somewhere up there. So I just kept telling myself, run, run, run. I was saying that in my head. I was like, just keep moving, keep going, keep going.”
McHugh added, “When I crossed the line, I heard all the Irish parents cheering, so I wasn't sure if I came third or fourth, so I just hoped. When I heard them all shouting that it was third, and then they announced it, I was delighted.
“I went out in my heat, and I had a different kind of stride patterning, I'm assuming, because of the adrenaline and the heat. It worked, but it worked out fine. So I was happy enough.
“So I kind of just hoped I could execute that again today, which I did. So it was fine. But it is completely about finding stride patterns in between the hurdles. It's not like sprinting, whatever works. It's like getting the right hurdle, knowing when you're going to hit it. But yeah, thankfully worked out.”
