WATCH: Limerick athlete takes giant step towards realising Tokyo Olympic dream

TALENTED Limerick athlete Carolyn Hayes took a major step towards qualification for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games after producing the best Irish female performance in a triathlon in almost a decade.

Newcastle West woman Hayes finished second at Sunday's World Cup triathlon in Lisbon, Portugal behind double Olympic medalist Nicola Spirig of Switzerland.

With just a handful of races left in the qualifying period, the result all but guarantees the Limerick athlete’s participation at Tokyo 2021.

Thirty-three-year-old Hayes took the lead as the field transitioned from the 40km bike leg to 10km run and only relinquished 1st place in the closing 1,500m.

Carolyn Hayes said afterwards: “I have worked really hard like everyone throughout the last year and half, I am very confident on the bike so knew if I stayed and it came down to a running race that I would be ok. I think everyone is racing thinking ‘I want to go to the Olympics’ so you just have to keep digging in and I was just so determined."

When asked about her strategy on the run, Hayes said she was determined not to give any ground, despite the quality of the field.

“Just keep running, don’t look back. I’ve worked hard all winter on my run so I am very confident, I wanted to test myself and I am really pleased that it was only in the last kilometre that I had company, this gives me confidence going forward to hopefully it’s enough to get a ticket to Tokyo.”

“I just want to go to the Olympics, I hope it’s enough”⁰⁰

Carolyn Hayes on finishing at today’s @worldtriathlon Lisbon WC…what a result!!☘️#TeamIreland #LisbonWC @1cmhayes @TeamIreland @sportireland @RTEsport @IndoSport @IrishTimesSport pic.twitter.com/dcFDwzJ1RS

— Triathlon Ireland (@tri_ireland) May 23, 2021

With just four races left to go before the Olympic qualifying period for triathlon closes, Triathlon Ireland’s Performance Director Stephen Delaney said the result all but guarantees Hayes’s place in Tokyo. “Today’s performance makes it really difficult for anyone else who’s chasing Carolyn. Anybody who wants it now, has to go out and outperform what Carolyn did today.”