NICOLA Tuthill has wasted no time in swelling her medal collection: she picked up her first of the year at the European Throwing Cup in Portugal on Sunday.
The Kilbrittain athlete won silver in the U23 hammer throw final in Leiria, and it’s the second year in a row Tuthill has brought a silver medal home from this competition.
In 2023 she became the first Irish athlete ever to win a medal at the European Throwing Cup, and now the Irish senior women’s hammer champion has back-to-back silvers.
Her first throw of 67.39 metres was her best throw, and just short of her personal best of 67.85 set last summer. Tuthill’s second throw was 67.12, and these were her top two throws so it was an encouraging opener to her season.
Only one Irish woman ever, record holder Eileen O’Keeffe (73.21), has thrown further than the UCD student so she’ll be pleased with her start to 2024 as she targets breaking the 70-metre barrier in the months ahead.
Swedish thrower Thea Lofman won gold in Portugal with a PB effort of 68.08, while Finland’s Aada Koppeli took home bronze with 64.88.