Kilbrittain hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill reflects on five of her favourite competitions, and why they were so special

THE MAGIC OF PARIS – The 2024 Paris Olympics have to be here. One hundred percent. Obviously it was my first Olympics, so to experience it all is something I’ll never forget. The competition, the Olympic Village, the fact it was so close to home, and so many family and friends made the trip.

The day of competition stands out. It was a Sunday morning session, and the Stade de France was packed. We were in the call-room for a long time, under the stands, hearing the roars but seeing nothing. When we were finally led out, I didn’t know what to expect. But stepping into that wall of noise and colour – that’s when it hit me: I’m really here.

You get three throws in qualifying, and it was the top 12 across both qualification groups who went through to the final. I was 20 years old, the youngest of all 32 athletes. My first throw was a cage-throw so a big foul. The next one was 68.87m, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy finishing on that. But then I threw 69.90m with my third throw, and I was delighted with that.

In such a busy stadium and on such a big stage, I was able to pull out a big throw – at the time that was my second furthest throw ever in a competition. To do that on the Olympic stage is something I’m very proud of.

When it comes down to a throw like that, it’s about having belief in yourself and knowing you have the work done. For me, I can look back and think “okay, this has happened in training before and I managed to deal with it”. I remember that and don’t go into panic mode, which can happen. This is such a technical sport, and you only have three throws in qualification so you have to be able to compose yourself. And I did. I didn’t make the Olympic final, but still finished 16th out of 32 in my first Olympics.

Nicola Tuthill looked so comfortable on the Olympic stage in Paris.

SWEET SIXTEEN – I won my first senior national title in 2020 when I was only 16. Heading to Dublin for those championships, I knew I could win gold. Based on season’s bests I was ranked number one and had thrown a new personal best of 58.24m at a meet in CIT a few weeks earlier. But I was young. With it being a Covid year too, you didn’t know who had competed. That competition sticks out because I didn’t expect to throw over 60 metres – and I threw 60.04m to win. That was the first time I ever went over 60. I hadn’t even done that in training, so it was a big surprise. I knew the potential was there because I had been going well, but I had never seen 60 metres on the measuring tape with the 4kg hammer before. That was very special.

Nicola Tuthill, then 16, on her way to winning the women's hammer at the 2020 national senior championships.

AN IMPORTANT FIRST – I’ve done quite well at the European Throwing Cup over the last few years, and winning silver in the U23 event in 2023 always stands out. The distance (64.44m) wasn’t anything special, but this was my first international medal. That was important.

Since then, I’ve won silver again in 2024 and then gold in 2025 – Ireland’s first-ever gold at the European Throwing Cup – but winning that medal in ’23 meant a lot; it showed I was on the right track.

It was at the same venue, Leiria in Portugal, where I had dislocated and fractured my elbow in 2022. The exact same circle. That injury disrupted my training for months, so to go back there in 2023 and come home with Ireland’s first medal at those championships was very special.

The injury didn’t play on my mind when I was back there in ’23. I was definitely aware that’s where it happened, but the reality is that I could have injured myself anywhere. It wasn’t the circle or the venue – it was about how my technique went wrong, and I got caught on my own legs mid-throw. Nobody wants to fall, but it happens.

Nicola Tuthill with her silver medal at the 2023 European Throwing Cup.

THE WORLD STAGE – Another first here, and it’s the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September. It was my first time at these championships, and all these experiences help my development. What stands out is my throw of 70.70 metres in qualification that qualified me for the final, even though at the time I wasn’t 100 percent sure it would.

This was like the Paris Olympics: it came down to the last throw in my qualifying group, and knowing that I needed further than what I had thrown. Again, I was able to produce a pretty decent throw. Because I was in the first qualifying group I had to sit and watch the second qualifying group. So you’re sitting there, watching, wondering and waiting if you’d get through.

That was a really long day. Because I was in the first qualification group, I was up really early. I think I had breakfast around 4.45am – insane o’clock! –, the bus to the track, then started my warm-up, and my call room was 7.30am. It was a long day, but worth it all. The experience of qualifying for the final, heading back to the team hotel, calming down, and prepping for the final that was on the next day. Refuel, refresh, rest and go again. It was so warm too! I finished 11th overall, and considering I went in ranked 20th on season’s bests, I had to be happy with that.

Nicola Tuthill with her silver medal at the 2025 World University Games in Bochum, Germany.

TOP MARKS – My first World medal will always be special. It came at the 2025 World University Games in Germany in July, right in the middle of a busy period. Going in, I wanted a medal but knew it would be tough. I always set very high standards for myself – I’m pretty hard on  myself, always looking for that extra bit.

It was mid-season. I had just come back from the European U23s in Norway where I won silver, so I was coming down off that buzz and going straight to the World University Games. I’d been travelling a lot, competing a lot, and I knew in the qualifying round that my body was tired.

It was about looking after recovery. I’m lucky that my coaches know me really well, and that I have a great support team through Sport Ireland – physios, sports scientists, nutritionists – so we make sure everything is right. Around that busy spell we planned carefully to hit all the targets and make sure I could compete that often.

Even in the final, I wasn’t performing. It was one of my worst competitions of the year until the last few throws. There were a few 66s, a 67, and a 68 before I pulled out a 69.98m throw that got me the silver medal. It’s good to know that even when I was tired, after a lot of competitions, I could still produce a big throw when I needed to.

The week after, I went to the national senior championships, defended my title and threw a new PB of 71.75m. A great few weeks.