SARAH Lavin cut an emotional figure after missing out on a medal at the European Championships in Rome.
The 30-year-old from Lisnagry came seventh in the 100m hurdles final after clipping the second obstacle.
“I got out well to the first hurdle but then smashed the second, so the race was gone,” she explained immediately afterwards in a television interview. “Right now, it’s just very raw. I bottled it.”
“It’s not the placing. I know that my performance can be much better than that.”
She added: “I’m sure in a few days I’ll be grateful that the Olympics (Paris) are only a few weeks away and I’ll come back but if losing didn’t hurt, winning wouldn’t matter.”
She had won her semi-final impressively.