'The best feeling': Erin Friel beams in Skopje sun after 400m bronze at EYOF

Ever since March, Erin Friel has woke up with the same thought.

She could picture herself on the podium at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).

On Tuesday morning, in baking temperatures in Macedonia, the Letterkenny AC athlete realised her dream - and was lost in the moment.

“I feel amazing,” Friel said after a superb personal best, 54.02 seconds, secured the 400m bronze at the Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje.

“I can’t even explain the feeling.“Everyone was asking me what my goal was. My goal was to get a medal, but I was just telling everyone that my goal was to make the final, which was the first goal. In my head, it was always to get a medal. To have done that now is the best feeling.

“I knew it would take a PB to get up there - and that’s what I did.”

Slovakia’s Ziva Remic was an impressive winner in 52.21, dominating the race pretty much from gun to line, with Italy’s Laura Frattaroli second in 53.71.

In the biggest race of her career, Friel shaved 0.26 off her previous best over the one-lap distance to take third. 

The mercury was touching 28 degrees when the gun fired and Friel, out of lane 4, was in contention from the get go.

Fifth at the 100m point, Friel shot herself into the medal push and with 100m to go the Loreto Secondary School student was neck-and-neck with Poland’s Zofia Tomczyk for third.

The 17-year-old said: “This wasn’t a race where I cared about times. I knew the times would be good anyway. 

“I felt so relaxed the whole week in the build-up. I waited for the nerves to hit me, but they never did. I was even less nervous for the final. I was just so excited to get out and run. 

“I definitely didn’t come here for times. I had everyone warned not to tell me about the other people in the race. I didn’t want to know their times or their rankings. To me, that doesn’t matter. I wanted to go and run my own race. I didn’t want to think about who was fast - I just went out hard from the start.

“I was thinking positive thoughts the whole way around and I came away with a PB.”

Down the home straight, Friel, who is coached by Kathryn McDevitt, found something form within - and the Newtowncunningham native was a deserving bronze medalist as she dipped over the line.

She had a special word of thanks for her coach.

She said: “I knew myself that I had the work done. My coach had me so well prepared.

“She is the main reason that I am here and walking away with a medal. I would’t be here without her. I don’t think people understand how much work she has put into me. She spends all day every day doing stuff for me, completely voluntarily. I am so grateful for her.

“We talked about EYOF in the winter training. Since the day I got the standard, I woke up every morning thinking about winning a medal. Now that I’ve done it, I can’t believe it.”

The unmistakable Friel, in bright coloured spikes, won her heat in a time of 54.68 seconds on Monday evening.

Calm and composed as she set off from lane three in the third and final heat, Friel was in second at the 100m marker, but hit the front at the midway point and found the answers to finish ahead of Anna Cerovska of Czechia and Austria’s Amelie Kofler.

The likes of Rhasidat Adeleke, Sarah Healy, Sarah Lavin and Ciara Mageean have all won EYOF medals.

Back in 2011, LAC’s Ruairi Finnegan won 1500m bronze in Trabzon, Turkey, while  Finn Valley AC high jumper Sommer Lecky took high jump bronze at the 2015 version in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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Friel said: “It feels amazing. To come away with a medal now, that just gives me so much hope for the future. This is what I want to do and this is where I want to be.

“From now on, the main thing is to keep injury free and keep enjoying it. I never want to dread coming to a race or going to training. That’s the main thing to go far in athletics; to enjoy it.”

Friel is also scheduled to compete in the medley relay later in the week.