The Irish team are daring to dream of qualification for the Rio Olympics as they look forward to the final of the 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam.
Speaking after the side secured their place in the final with a fourth place finish in their heat, David Gillick said he believes they can post a fast enough time tomorrow to make the grade for Rio.
The team finished their heat in 3:04.42, but will need to beat that time to be on the plane to Brazil.
With 16 teams to qualify, they currently lie in 17th and will need a run of at least 3:04.25 or faster to get into the top 16 Olympic qualifying positions before the cut-off date on Monday 11 July.
The Czech Republic, who ran a national record of 3:02.66 today, will overtake Ireland if they can replicate that performance tomorrow.
This would mean the Irish team would require 3:04.05 to overtake Japan and get inside the top 16.
Gillick told RTÉ Sport the side got isolated in fourth place to an extent, turning the race into a time trial for the squad.
He admitted that in the circumstances, qualifying for the final was a satisfactory result.
"To get an opportunity to represent your country at the Olympics, this is the stuff of dreams"
"Credit to all the lads, to come away with a 3:04.4 in those conditions is a good day out. It would have been really disappointing if we hadn’t got thru but I think we knew we just needed to hang in there."
Thomas Barr, a 400m hurdle specialist, echoed Gillick's comments on the impact of their isolation in what were windy conditions.
"It’s tough going when you’re on your own. That’s quite a strong wind and we’d no one to shield us and no one to give that little extra bit of motivation.
"At the end of the day we just got the job done, we’re thru to the final and hopefully we’ll be able to push for a better time tomorrow and get ourselves in a good spot for Rio."
Brian Gregan of Clonliffe Harriers, who led the side off in what was a front-loaded heat, said the qualification would be for more than just the four men on the track.
"It’s a massive credit to the likes of Brian Murphy and Timmy Crowe at home who are part of this team and its for them we got through to the final. Tomorrow is a new day, we’ll give it a good shot."
Having enjoyed a long career, Gillick admits that the prospect of Olympic qualification is a very exciting one indeed.
"These days are few and far between. To get an opportunity to represent your country at the Olympics, this is the stuff of dreams"
