by Adam Moynihan

Star Killarney athlete Sarah Leahy says she's still “buzzing” this week following her spectacular victory in the 60m sprint at the National Indoor Championships in Dublin on Sunday.

Leahy regained the title she last won in 2023 by fending off Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) and Sive O’Toole (St Laurence O’Toole AC), crossing the line in a time of 7.39 seconds.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” the 25-year-old told the Killarney Advertiser. “I’m back to work now so reality kicks in pretty quickly! But I achieved one of my main goals for the winter. The main thing on Sunday was to get the title. I didn’t get my PB yet (her current PB in the 60m is 7.30 seconds) but I’ll try again on Saturday at the Leinster Indoors.”

Preparation is key and the Killarney Valley woman felt things couldn’t have gone any better in that regard.

“The winter training was tough but it was the best I’ve done over the past three years. The gym is going great, although I don’t think my strength really showed the last day. I think there’s definitely more there and I should be running quicker. I was really focussed on my mindset leading up to the competition because we all do the training; it’s the mental part of it that makes or breaks you. I made myself really confident and that definitely helped me over the line.

“[At the start line] I was concentrating on myself, telling myself to not let the race get away from me, and not to panic if the people next to me get out quicker or if I can feel them on my shoulder. Just keep the focus, because I’ve definitely lost that focus before. In a few All-Ireland finals I was winning up to the last four or five metres and then I lost.

“On Sunday I just had that extra experience and I had that belief in the work that I’d done. I didn’t let the external environment pull me down.”

Leahy looked to be in a strong position from start to finish but it was a competitive race and the commentator on the Athletics Ireland stream initially felt she might have been pipped by Neville at the post. The Killarney native knew she had done enough, however.

“It’s always a bit of a blur but I do remember thinking if there’s any photos of me mid-race my face will look a little bit worried! There was a delay at the start so I felt a little bit fatigued halfway through – not as energetic as I was hoping for. But I got that out of my head and said, ‘we’re here to win the race by any means necessary’.

“There were girls beside me but when we got to the line, I didn’t dip. I knew I had it. It was very close and usually from my perspective it’s very hard to tell. One of the things I’ve been training for is not to dip. I’m not the best at it and I know I’ll run quicker if I run through the line. So when we got to the line, I was pretty confident. I knew I had won.”

Sarah had support on the day from her boyfriend Daniel, close friends, and parents Marie and Mike, both of whom were brought into the post-race interview. They were the only non-athletes interviewed on the day.

Speaking to host Mick Bowler and holding back the tears, Mike said: “It’s fantastic. Nerve-racking, absolutely nerve-racking, but it was fantastic. We’re very proud of her.”