Kathryn McDevitt finishes fourth in European Masters 400m final

Kathryn McDevitt was pipped by inches to an individual medal at the European Masters Athletics Championships on Tuesday.

A day after helping the Irish W40 4x100m relay team to silver, McDevitt was an agonising fourth in the 400m final in Pescara, Italy.

The Letterkenny AC woman clocked 61.21 seconds, just missing out on a place on the podium.

Down the home straight, McDevitt - racing for the sixth time in four days - was in the medal positions. With 30m to go, the Letterkenny athlete was actually second, but she had her pocket pinched on the surge for the line.

Magic Monday as Kathryn McDevitt helps Ireland to relay silver in Italy

At the European Masters Athletics Championships in Pescara, McDevitt and the Ireland W40 4x100m team to silver medals while booking a place in the 400m final

Paulina Orell Sahlberg from Sweden grabbed gold in 57.97 seconds with Spain’s Teresa Torres Gutierrez (59.81) and Italian Barbara Marinucci (59.91) also in the medals.

Fellow Irish athletes Bronwen McDonald and Snezana Bechtina were behind McDevitt in fifth and sixth.

McDevitt has received an EMA Masters Athlete of the Year award as part of the 4x100 and 4x400m relay teams that won gold at last year’s World Masters Athletics Championship in Finland.

“I gave it my all,” McDevitt told Donegal Live. “I’m fourth in Europe, but that race has left me wanting more. I’m more hungry than ever for that individual medal now.”

McDevitt - who was fifth in the 200m final on Sunday - booked a place in the final when clocking 62:09 in her heat to finish second behind Gutierrez.

She was part of the silver-winning relay team on Monday, running the fourth leg as the Irish quartet finished in 52.08 seconds.

Michelle Metcalfe, Snezana Bechtina and Leona Garrity ran the opening three legs and they were edged out by the Italian four of Silvia Di Domenico, Serena Caravelli, Annachiara De Pippo and Rosa Iovine, who took gold in 51.35 seconds.