Having not been aware that there were Masters Athletics competitions to compete in until last year, Fermanagh runner Irene Clements has certainly made up for the lost time.

Having picked up two silver medals at the European Masters Athletics Championships in February, she claimed bronze in the World Masters Athletics Championships in Tampere, Finland last week.

Irene, running for Ireland, came in third in the W60 10km race in a time of 42.54 behind winner Niamh O’Sullivan of Ireland and Ann Thurlow Newman (GB&NI) in second.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter this week, Irene was delighted to finish in the medal positions in what she said was a high-quality field.

“I knew there was a very high standard and I didn’t think I could get a medal at all.

“[But] part of the course was looped and I knew I was in the third medal position.

“I could see the girl that was in second but I didn’t manage to catch her, it just got too hot.”

The heat out in Finland was quite a surprise to Irene but with only a few days of preparation, it was not enough to acclimatise properly to it.

Along with last-minute changes to the course and a competitive field, it was a tough task for Irene but she stuck to it and got her reward in the end.

“I knew my category was a very tough category with some very good runners in it because you had to put in your personal best time beforehand.”

And having contracted Covid-19 in March Irene knew it was going to be a challenge: “I felt I wasn’t back to the speed I was before I had Covid so I was always going to be up against it.

“So I thought it was a challenge to get into the medals but thankfully I did manage to get bronze.”

And the experience has made Irene want more.

“It was a great experience and it made me hungry for more.

“I didn’t even know about Masters Athletics outside of running races in Ireland.

“I’m delighted to have done those things since Covid restrictions ended.

“It’s hard to imagine somebody who is 61 is only starting her journey but maybe it will show other people you can start out at any age,” concluded Irene who has her sights set on the World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland in March of next year.