IT was only fitting that Phil Healy arrived home to Enniskeane and Ballineen in a vintage Rolls Royce as hundreds lined the twin villages to welcome home their Olympic hero.
Phil was part of the Irish women’s 4x400 relay team who came agonisingly close to winning a medal at the Olympics final in Paris, finishing in fourth place in the end. However, she won a silver medal at the European Championships in Rome as part of the women’s 4X400m team.
She also won a silver medal at the European Championships which she displayed to young people gathered to see her there.
Speaking on the Star Sport Podcast, The Ballineen Bullet said she couldn’t believe the crowds who turned up to see her. ‘It was great to see so many people turn up and the kids were excited and people had travelled from around the place too and that was bonkers that people made the effort,’ she said. Phil also gave great advice to youngsters who gathered at St Mary’s GAA ground for her homecoming. She said she didn’t fully focus on athletics until she was 17 and had tried all sports including camogie, football and swimming before then.
‘I was definitely a late comer to the sport but to the kids it’s so important to remember that it’s not all about winning all the time because we didn’t win the last day but we did our best and we went out there and we represented the country,’ she said.
‘When I was younger I definitely wasn’t winning but I did the different sports because I enjoyed them, I had fun and I was making friends and there are the three things you should remember.’ And Phil Healy even took time to head to Tralee earlier this week to support her cousin, Maria Collins, who was the Perth Rose at this year’s Rose of Tralee, but come from Coppeen.
