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12th August 2019
03:02pm BST

Rower Sanita Puspure got Ireland's winning summer off to a start on June 2, when she won a gold medal at the European Rowing Championships. The Latvian-Irish rower crossed the finish line first in the single sculls event at this year's championships in Lucerne, Switzerland. She also set a new European record, coming in a time of 7:23.18. After the race, Puspure, who is based in Ballincollig, told interviewers that she had not been feeling well in the week leading up to the race and was "absolutely blown away" to have won, let alone to have set a new record.
In July, the Irish women's ultimate frisbee team won gold at the European championships – bringing the high-flying sport to the attention of nation as they did. The team beat Switzerland 15-8 at final in Gyor, Hungary after a week-long competition. The squad was captained by Sarah Melvin and coached by Ian French. Their win was hailed by President Higgins, who tweeted: "My warmest congratulations to the Irish women's ultimate frisbee team on winning gold at the European championships – a wonderful milestone in the history of this fast-growing sport."
Rhasidat Adeleke proved herself to be the rising star of Irish athletics when she claimed not one but two gold medals at the European Youth Olympic Festival. The 16-year-old, who runs for Tallaght Athletic Club, pulled off a rare sprint double when she won both the 100m and 200m races. A Leaving Cert student, Rhasidat said after the race that it was a late decision to do both events and that the cheers from the Irish supporters in the stadium had helped to fuel her victory.
Elsewhere at the same tournament, swimmer Molly Mayne also celebrated double success, claiming bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m metres breaststroke. The 13-year-old from Terenure swam a personal best time over the shorter distance.
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