Emma Slevin and her team said they were proud at the Galway teenager's top-20 finish at the World Gymnastics Championships.
The Galway teenager placed 19th in the women's all-around final in Japan.
Slevin was already the first Irish woman to compete in an all-around final at world level, and produced scores of 11.266 on Floor; 13.600 on Vault; 12.533 on Uneven Bars and 12.733 on Balance Beam.
"Today was such an amazing experience," the 18-year old said, "Not my best day… but to able to call myself a World Championship finalist and make history for my country is something I will be proud of forever.
"I’m so thankful to everyone who supported me and helped me along this journey. I’m feeling very motivated to get back into the training gym."
Sally Johnson is the Gymnastics Ireland Performance and Technical Manager. Speaking from Kitakyushu she said, "We are all so proud of Emma cementing her position as one of the World’s best.
"Emma showed once again her grit and determination in the final on this world field.
"She fought back from an early fall on floor to have one of the highest execution scores on vault.
"Emma built on her 21st position in qualifiers to finish in 19th position carrying two unfortunate falls with the rest of her routines almost flawless.
"The experience of this world championships has been a tough one with the restrictions proving to be a challenge for everyone.
"We all look forward to returning home to build on the Paris cycle and next year’s program."
COVID-19: 2,029 new cases in Ireland, with 88 patients now in ICU
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