Phil Healy concentrating on positives in Olympic year

Phil Healy says she's aiming to qualify for two different distances at this year's Olympic Games after coming fourth in the 400m at the European Indoor Athletics Championships over the weekend.

The Ballineen athlete is the Irish 200m record holder, and admits this event will be her main target when heading to Japan later in the year. But she is also hopeful of getting a place in the 400m at the delayed Games.

 

Final qualification for both distances won't be likely until the summer, and at the moment she is reflecting on a satisfying weekend's work in Poland, where Healy set a personal best at the distance.

"I didn't come home with a medal, but to me fourth is a medal," said Healy, speaking on 2fm's Game On.

"I might as well have a medal with fourth because to produce a PB, to be that close to the medals on my third race in the 36 hours, to make a major senior final - I gave it everything and I'm absolutely thrilled with my performance.

 

"The top three girls have major international medals on the world stage and on the European stage [already].

"So to be so close to them... even the girl that was fifth, behind me, she was ranked number two in Europe all year. She's absolutely stormed the whole indoor season so it's been unbelievable.

"There have been many major championships where I've messed up and things haven't gone to plan. So to make a major senior final, to produce the quickest time that I've ever run, I couldn't be more happy.

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"[I've] 100% arrived on that scene and I'm ready to take it on further into the summer."

Healy's preparations for races were slightly unusual, owing to the restrictions on the number of support team members who could travel because of Covid-19.

It meant she competed without coach Shane McCormack at the venue.

"Without Shane, I wouldn't have been there on the track in Torun," she acknowledges.

"In the last seven years that he's coached me that was probably his fourth race that he's ever missed. Of course, it had to be the one where I was in the final.

"All the credit goes to Shane. He leads the way with the team and the support we have. It's that network of people around you who bring the performance out.

"It is so important. We did decide to sit out competing throughout the indoor season and we didn't race abroad just because of the risks.

"It all worked out for us because we got to push training out another bit. I keep Shane on his toes on the planning with the different events - the 200m and the 400m - but he takes care of it.

"I do the easy job of going out there and running!"

Like Taylor, Shield is and Olympic champion and she has held belts across three weight classes and while there is still plenty of work to be done to secure a fight between the two, signs are increasingly positive. 

"I think that the dream fight overall is for me and Katie Taylor," Shields said recently. "But for me going down to 147, it is kind of a push for me. The numbers have to make sense and everything else has to make sense: the rehydration clause. 

"I think it would be the best fight, if she were interested." 

A Paralympian at the age of 13 and a Palalympic bronze medal winner eight years later at the Rio Games, Ellen Keane goes towards Tokyo 2023 looking to build on her already hugely impressive achievements.

Gearing up towards her fourth successive Paralympics, the swimmer will again be competing in S9, SM9 and SB8 classification events, favouring the breaststroke for which she won bronze in Rio.

Team Ireland came home from Torun with no medals, which has naturally led to some questions being asked about preparations for the championships.

Writing in his column for RTÉ Sport, two-time European Indoors gold medallist David Gillick said that "there were poor performances, but we also saw some positives, and many can hold their heads high."

And it's a point that Healy agrees with.

"Anything can happen [at a major championships] and tactics come into play. Some people just have a bad day but it was great to be part of such a big Irish team with so many great performances.

"Sarah Lavin produced a PB (60m hurdles). You would think Cian McPhilips (800m) was on the European stage at major championships the whole time with his level of maturity.

"Some performances didn't go to plan for some people but loads of Irish athletes went out there and fought and walked off the track happy."

The Olympic Games are the major target for all the Irish athletes who competed last week, as well as for those that missed out through injury.

Healy says she's aiming to run at two distances in Tokyo.

"The summer rolls around really quickly and we will start racing again towards the end of May. The qualification for the Olympics is the end of June.

"I have my qualification in the 200m for Tokyo. I'm ranked 29th out of 56 so I just need to secure that position. We are going to give it a shot and try to qualify for the 400m. It is a high possibility that I can get in both.

"The ranking points and bonus points from the weekend will really push me up there and I just need three quality races outdoor.

"They don't clash when it comes to racing in Tokyo so hopefully we can be there in both, but the 200m will definitely be the main focus."