WHATEVER plans you had for Saturday afternoon, put them on hold because West Cork's very own Phil Healy is racing in an Olympic final in Tokyo at 1.35pm Irish time.
The Bandon AC star is part of the Irish mixed 4x400m relay team - alongside Cillin Greene, Sophie Becker and Chris O’Donnell - that smashed the national record by four seconds on Friday as they sizzled with a 3:12.18 in the Tokyo heat, and that sensational performance was enough to book the Irish quartet their place in an Olympic final at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo this afternoon.
Healy, Greene, Becker and O’Donnell pulled out all the stops to reach this final, but they feel there's even more to come in the medal race today.
‘This is an Olympic Games and to qualify for a final is unbelievable. We shattered the national record, we took four seconds off it – and that is just unbelievable. There is so much more in this team,’ Healy said after the semi-final.
The Ballineen bullet will compete in the 200m and 400m early next week, but right now it's all about the 4x400m final.
Best of luck, Phil, Cillin, Sophie and Chris!
Check out this feature interview here with Phil Healy on how she is inspiring on and off the track.
*****
Click here to sign up to our mailing list and get the best of West Cork delivered straight to your inbox.