Women in Sport: Olympic athlete Sarah Lavin

Sarah Lavin is an Irish athlete specialising in the high hurdles who became the fastest woman in Ireland over the 100m flat and the hurdles this past September. Having just kicked off 2024 with a new personal best, Sarah continues to excel in her field, and is an Irish record holder 100mH and 100m, and holds a European Games Bronze.

This past weekend, Sarah finished fifth in 60m hurdles final, the fastest race in history of women’s indoor sprint hurdles, at the closing session of the World Indoor Championships inside the Glasgow Arena. Her aspirations of making it to the Olympic final in Paris in the 100m hurdles are certainly within reach.

Here, Sarah Lavin shares her sporting story so far…

Name: Sarah Lavin

Profession: Athlete, specialising in the high hurdles

Earliest sporting memory?

Being eight years old winning the U9 All-Irelands!

How did you become involved in your sport?

I joined the local club Emerald AC because I liked running in the yard and racing against the boys in school.

What message would you like to share with young women and girls interested in pursuing a career as an athlete?

Dream big and work hard, sport can bring so many wonderful things to your life.

Proudest moment so far…

Breaking the National Record for the 100m hurdles and becoming fastest Irish woman ever.

The female athlete I admire most is…

Too hard to pick one! Susanna Kallur still holds the World Indoor Record from 2008.

Favourite sporting memory…

Katie Taylor winning gold in London 2012, Derval becoming world indoor champion, Craig finishing 2nd in WRC Sweden.

Do you think there is still a stigma around women in sport?

In certain sports yes but I think I am very fortunate in athletics as everyone is viewed the same regardless of race, gender, background.

What is the biggest barrier to driving visibility in women’s sports?

Decision making by people in power.

The biggest stigma/misconception that exists in women’s sport is…

Women have to be aggressive to gain respect.

If I wasn’t an athlete I would be…

A physiotherapist (I am!).

My favourite pre-competition meal is…

Chicken pasta.

My pre-competition playlist includes…

Enya, Nelly, Rihanna, Michael Buble, Westlife, everything!

My daily routine is…

Breakfast, training, eat, nap, train, eat, sleep

My biggest sporting goal is…

To become the first Irish female to make a sprint Olympic final.

Sports brands I love (Irish or otherwise)…

Adidas.

Biggest splurge to celebrate a win…

A trip to Hawaii.

How do you mind your mental health?

Dedicate time to myself especially when things are really busy, I love going to a spa.

My three desert island beauty products are:

Moisturiser, SPF, mascara.

I need 9 hours of sleep a night because….

I really love to sleep and it helps to make me faster and avoid injuries!

Confidence, to me, is…

Having faith in my preparation.

How do you get over a bad performance?

Regroup and go again.

Lastly, why is sport such an integral part of community, on a club, local, national and personal level?

It has the ability to bring people together and make people feel -the good, bad and in between.

Feature image via David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile.

This article was originally published in January 2024.