Healy clocks 51:96 with superb opening run

PHIL Healy has raced out of the blocks early in 2022 after a blistering run in round one of the national indoor league on Sunday.

The Ballineen Bullet, in her first race of the year, clocked a superb 51.96 in her 400m race. That’s only two hundredths of a second off Healy’s indoor 400m PB of 51:94 that she ran in the European Indoor 400m final in March 2021.

She also secured the qualifying standard for the 2022 World Indoor Championships to be held in Belgrade in March. Considering it was her first race of the year, it’s a very encouraging sign ahead of an action-packed year that includes the World Indoors and the European and World outdoor championships.

What makes Healy’s 51.96 even more eye-catching is that only four Irish women have ever run under 52 seconds indoors or outdoors, and the West Cork woman is in this group. Healy will also be running in the World Athletics Indoor Tour meet in Karlsruhe on January 28th.