HAVING ran her fastest-ever 400m relay split in an Olympic final and back competing with a smile on her face, Phil Healy has placed her retirement plans on the backburner.
The Bandon AC track star is part of the Irish women’s 4x400m relay team that missed out on an Olympic medal in Paris by just 0.18 of a second, but a silver lining from the heartbreak is Healy’s return to form this season.
After a challenging 18-month period, the Ballineen Bullet has bounced back in style – in 2024 she has won a European silver medal with the women’s 4x400m relay team, finished fourth in an Olympic final, helped smash the national women’s 4x400m relay record twice, ran her fastest ever 400m relay split (50.94) and won indoor and outdoor 200m Irish titles.
Turning 30 later this year, Healy feels energised after her exploits this season, and is excited by what next year holds for the trailblazing Irish women’s 4x400m relay team. The European and World indoor championships are both in March, in The Netherlands and China respectively. The 2025 World Athletics Championships are in Tokyo next September. The World Athletics Relays are also scheduled for 2025.
‘To be honest, I probably did consider retirement after this year,’ Healy told the Star Sport Podcast this week.
‘I wasn’t sure … There wasn’t a definite decision made and I just wanted to enjoy this summer. Sometimes you get a feeling and Paris has given me the hunger to definitely continue for another year.
‘This relay team is capable of so much. Next year we have European Indoors, World Indoors, World Relays and World Championships, so there are so many major championships that we can be performing at, so it’s an exciting year ahead.
‘You have to take it year by year, I’ll be going on 33 by Los Angeles but you never know what’s in store. As I said to you before, if you asked me last year I didn’t think I would be in Paris so you have to take it year by year and see how it all plays out.’
Healy knows she has more in the tank, and her performance while running the third leg in the Olympic relay final highlighted that; she produced her best performance on the biggest stage.
‘It was my fastest relay split ever and to do that in an Olympic final was special. I knew I was in PB shape, so to get that out and to do what I could for the team was a great feeling,’ Healy said, as she maintained Ireland’s second spot, after taking the baton from Rhasidat Adeleke and then handing it to Sharlene Mawdsley for the final leg.
‘In the final I was on the third leg, which is where I always am when Rhasidat is brought into the team, but no matter what position you are in it’s going to have pressure because when Rhasidat hands you the baton you are going to be in a good position,’ Healy explained.
‘Even before I got the baton I knew the pressure that was in store to keep the team in contention because there were world class athletes on that third leg. It’s about not blowing it in the first 200 but also having enough in the last 200 as well.
