NICOLA Tuthill is proving that she belongs on the big stage.
The Kilbrittain woman (20) admits she felt like a ‘bit of an impostor’ ahead of the P-T-S Meeting in Šamorín, Slovakia last Friday, pointing to her then personal best throw of 68.70m being the lowest ranking in the field.
But Tuthill turned heads with a stunning new PB of 70.32m to break the 70-metre barrier for the first time, finish second in the competition, book her place at her first senior European Athletics Championships next week and also open the door for the Olympics later in the summer. Her latest PB is also a new Irish U23 hammer record, too.
‘In the startlist in Slovakia I was five years younger than all the other girls,’ the rising Bandon AC star says.
‘I have competed in three World Continental Tours in the past few weeks, each one has had a higher grade and it’s been great to be competitive against all senior athletes.
‘Training has been really positive from the winter building into the summer, and it was encouraging to be able to prove form and hit the 70-metre mark. Next year I am still U23 but after that I am senior, so to be competitive there you need to hit over 70 metres. To hit that now, hopefully I can build on that and back it up.’
It’s the third time this year the Irish senior women’s hammer champion has set a new PB, and Tuthill has already increased her 2023 best of 67.85m by almost two and a half metres this year. Only Kilkenny native Eileen O’Keefe, with the Irish senior record with a 73.21m, has thrown further than Tuthill, with that record throw dating back to July 2007.
With the qualification window for the Europeans in Rome closing last weekend, Tuthill’s performance in Slovakia catapults the UCD student into her first senior Europeans (June 7th to 12th), and it’s another opportunity to compete against the best.
‘I am still very young so getting the chance to go to these international competitions and compete against women who have been at this level for years, it gives you more confidence that you do belong at this level,’ Tuthill says.
‘I know going into Slovakia I felt like a bit of an impostor because going on PBs I would have been ranked last, so I knew I had to be at my best to stay with them – and thankfully I did.’
Tuthill’s new PB is also a B standard for the Olympics in Paris, though she explains she will need to throw over 70 metres in, possibly, four more competitions before the qualification window shuts to be in with a chance.
‘It’s still a bit of a stretch but it’s nice to hit the 70-metre mark and be able to go to more competitions, and to gain experience that will stand to me,’ she adds.
For now Tuthill’s focus is on the Europeans and another chance to continue her remarkable progress.
