"We had a huge fanbase out here who really invested emotionally and financially in the sport and it's been rewarded here this week. A lot of Irish fans are very, very happy; our sport is on the crest of a wave."
.@irishathletics high performance lead Paul McNamara on his hope that the commercial world can get on board and tap into the success that was @earoma2024 #rtesport @DavidGillick pic.twitter.com/PblYGzsL90
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 13, 2024
In further praising the efforts of those who medalled, McNamara pointed to the high bar that must be met in terms of times and the satisfaction in exceeding the expectations that were set in advance of heading to the Italian capital.
"They had to produce them [those times] or they wouldn't have medalled, he added.
"In the women's 4x400m, sixth place was inside the existing Irish record. Had they not been on their A game they would not have got there. From a long way out we targeted two medals, as we got closer we looked at three medals, and then realistically we looked at four.
"All were executed and then further down the field we had top 8s, top 16s and top 24s. Youth is coming through: Nicola Tuthill (ninth in the hammer), Oisín Lane (23rd in the 20km race walk) and various others. We're in a good place, really good place."
The Paris Olympics is fast approaching: "the big dance", according to McNamara, with that bit more required if one is to medal in the City of Lights.
"Ultimately the focus was always Paris, that is what it's about every four years. European Championships was important, it certainly wasn't a distraction and it is a stepping stage for a number of our prime athletes. It's a cliché, but every victory is stepping stone towards a greater victory and that's where the mindset of our athletes is at the moment. It is a big step up, though. The women's 4x400 and the mixed 4x400 is world class right now in Europe, 1500 metres also world class.
"A medal here does reflect the opportunity for a medal in Paris but you are mixing with the big guns and it will take more. That's the harsh reality."
Record numbers watching the events from Rome on TV and other devices is the natural follow on from success, but the Athletics Ireland official would now like greater financial support to help resource the sport better.
"I would like to think I'm fairly in tune with our sport on the ground. It probably goes back to Munich 2022, Budapest 2023, it is on the crest of a wave. The public interest at home is massive. The viewership for this championship exceeding that of The Late Late Show.
"Our sport must capitalise on that in terms of commercial revenue and finance because resource is critical relative to our peers in Europe. We are resourced poorly; we get fantastic support and investment from Sport Ireland but the commercial world has to get on board and tap into that success and invest in that success.
"If we see continued and consistent investment in our sport we are just scratching the surface of what we can achieve."
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