Ireland’s performance in the women’s 4x400m relay team is “just amazing”, Phil Healy’s sister has said.
Last night at the European Championships, Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Rhasidat Adeleke, and Sharlene Mawdsley won silver medals for Ireland in the 4x400m relay.
The team also set a new Irish record time of 3:22:71.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Joan Healy, sister of Phil and also a former international sprinter, described it as an “unbelievable” performance.
“Listening to you saying ‘European silver medal’ there is just amazing.” she said.
“These girls have just worked so hard over the years that it’s just an amazing achievement to witness last night.”
Woke up EUROPEAN SILVER MEDALISTS😭💚
📸 @sportsfile / @Inphosports pic.twitter.com/PWBv8ihw44
— Sophie Becker (@sophiebecker_) June 13, 2024
Ms Healy said the medal winning performance was all the more special because Phil had really gone through a “really rough” time in her sporting career.
In 2022, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an auto-immune disorder that impacted her thyroid.
“She missed out on World Championships in Oregon, she was present for the European Championships in Munich that year,” she said.
“She was there on the 4x4 but we all witnessed that they were tough runs for Phil to put together but we’re so thrilled that she finally got on top of her diagnosis.”
Phil Healy competed in her first European Championships back in 2016 and Ms Healy said her sister’s medal was a “long time coming”.
“She’s been the national record holder at the 100 [metres], at the 200 [metres],” she said.
“So, we always knew that it was there and there’s a certain amount of luck as well involved in this.
“An incredible amount of hard work has gone into it and the whole team.”
The pride💚
📸@SportsfileSam#Roma2024 #IrishAthletics pic.twitter.com/y0VXLPGRYp
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) June 13, 2024
While she might be best known for her athletic achievements, Phil Healy also works full-time as well.
She fits in her training around her work schedule.
“Athletics is definitely not a soft sport,” Joan Healy said.
“Yes, it was a team event and it was great to see them but day in, day out, it’s an individual event and you’re out there on the track night after night, in the gym, in all sorts of conditions trying to get [to] races around the country and around the world.
“We know the hard slog that goes into it.”
Ms Healy’s next big international competition will be the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
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Main image: Phil Healy. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
