Latest news with #SarahHealy
Irish Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Euro champ Sarah Healy pays tribute to Ciara Mageean and looks forward to Worlds
Sarah Healy has described Ciara Mageean as "such a fighter" as her Team Ireland colleague continues her cancer treatment. Healy, who won the European Indoors 3000m title in March, was shocked when the beloved Portaferry athlete made the announcement at the start of the month. "Obviously it was such sad news to hear," said the 24-year-old. "And yeah, it's really shocking to hear when someone so young and so healthy faces something like that. "But just sending her support and we know that she's such a fighter and I'm sure she'll, as she said herself, take that fight into what she's facing now. We're all just thinking of her and are behind her. And I guess it really puts a lot of things in perspective." Sadly, Mageean won't be able to compete at the World Championships in September after she won Europeans gold last year and then had her Olympic dream ripped away by an Achilles tear. Healy will fly the flag for Irish women's middle distance running in the 33-year-old's absence after a breakthrough year. Her own Olympic dream also ended in heartbreak, but on the track, as she failed to translate strong form into performances when it really counted in Paris. A mentality change in the aftermath saw her strike gold in the Euro Indoors as she focused more on the enjoyment of competing than the pressure of performing on the biggest stages. Sarah Healy wins the Women's 1500m during the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, part of the 2025 Diamond League at Stadio Olimpico on June 6 (Image:) Healy has backed that up over a hugely encouraging summer of Diamond League runs - including victory in Rome - that leave her top of the standings with four meetings left. "Which is almost kind of funny," she smiled. "I think it's just because I've won one of them, but it's really cool and I'm going to race in Silesia and then hopefully the final in Zurich. "This year I was lucky enough to just get into the first one and win it - from there you're sorted in terms of getting into the next ones. The women's 1500 is really nicely spaced apart on the schedule." It is suggested to her that a string of PBs confirm that she is in the best form of her life. "It's more the racing than the times," said Healy. "I've obviously run a few of my fastest times ever, which is great, but I've been more happy with my performances and places than my times, to be honest. That's given me more confidence and I'm hoping there's faster in me - and I think there is." The former UCD athlete will be at Morton Stadium in Santry to compete in the National Senior Track and Field Championships this weekend, but in the 800m rather than the 1500m or 3000m events. Olympian Sarah Healy was speaking to media ahead of this weekend's National Senior Track and Field Championships which take place at Morton Stadium across Saturday Aug 2nd and Sunday Aug 3rd (Image: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile) Healy rarely competes at the distance but sees this as a great opportunity to run a fast one. "It will probably be a good quality field at nationals and it's just a good chance for me to challenge myself in a different way," she remarked. "I'm just lucky I was able to do it at home. Normally, running an 800 brings me on a lot in the 1500 so that was my thought process." The Worlds are just six weeks away and Healy is tentatively eyeing up another podium finish. "That's obviously the main goal," she acknowledged. "The big goal would be to make the final, I've never made a (outdoor) final before and in Paris I didn't even make the semi-final, so I'm just taking it one round at a time. "I've improved my world ranking this year to seventh, which is a lot higher than I've ever been ranked before, but obviously it means nothing once you get there. But based off that I do know I have the ability to make a final - and once you make a final who knows what can happen. "At the stage of my career that I'm at now, a final would be huge, a huge step forward and that would be my aim. I know I'm capable. I know I'm the fittest I've ever been and feel confident, but also know that I've got more in me this season. "So I'm still excited to race, I want to race more and I've still got a lot to do. So it's kind of the perfect place to be, I think." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Times
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
First she conquered Rome and now the sky's the limit for Sarah Healy
After running three lifetime bests in her five Diamond League races, including a wonderfully rare 1,500 metres victory in Rome , it's no wonder Sarah Healy's confidence is soaring. The metamorphosis of mindset which occurred during the indoor season is also perfectly evident. In four of those five races, Healy finished in the top three, reflecting her new approach to competition since winning the European Indoor 3,000m title in March. Focus on the tactics and performance first and the fast times will follow. 'Definitely, I just realised I need to take the pressure off, not think about the outcome so much,' said Healy, who is currently finishing up a midseason training spell in Monte Gordo in Portugal. 'If I just focus on what I can control and the same process I go through all the time, instead of the end results, then my performances are a lot better and they improve. 'And also, I suppose, enjoying where I'm at. I feel like I'm at a really nice phase of my career, where I'm still improving a lot, but also realising that there is no real pressure on me.' READ MORE Next up for the 24-year-old will be this weekend's National Track and Field Championships in Santry, where she'll drop down to 800m, the event she won last year. Healy's consistency so far this season also augurs well for the World Championships in Tokyo in September, where her heightened tactical astuteness will surely come into play. Sarah Healy wins the 800m at the National Outdoor Senior Championships at Morton Stadium, Dublin, in 2024. Photograph: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile After improving her 3,000m best to 8:27.02 at the Diamond League in Rabat, Healy won the 1,500m in Rome in 3:59.17, then improved her lifetime best to 3:57.15 when finishing second in Paris . She was close to that again when running 3:57.20 to finish seventh in Eugene (the race where Kenya's Faith Kipyegon improved her world record to 3:48.68) before Healy came out again in London to finish third in the mile in another lifetime best of 4:16.26. 'I think it's definitely been the biggest improvement from last year, or any other year,' Healy says of this consistency. 'It's hard to say exactly what it is. I guess, just getting physically stronger and better means that my average day is better now. 'The only time this season that I've really thought about trying to run a fast time going into a race was Prefontaine (in Eugene) and it was probably the race I felt like I raced the worst in and was least happy with the result. When I look back after, I thought the only difference was that my approach was far more time-focused, and it just didn't really put me in as good a mental state.' Her coaches, the husband-and-wife team of Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter, continue to have a big say in Healy's progress this season. There have also been other subtle changes. 'It's not one thing,' she added. 'I'm getting older and I've been doing this for a while now. You just realise what works for you. I know I'm the fittest I've ever been and feel confident, but also know I've got more in me this season. I want to race more and I've still got a lot to do this season, so it's kind of the perfect place to be.' Sarah Healy celebrates her Diamond League victory at Rome's Olympic Stadium. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images Healy won her first senior title over 1,500m in 2019, aged 18, the year after winning a double gold at the European Under-18 Championships. Her 1,500m best of 3:57.15 is now second only to Ciara Mageean's Irish record of 3:55.87, set in 2023. Like everyone in Irish athletics, Healy is still absorbing the shock of Mageean's cancer diagnosis last month, for which she is continuing to get treatment. 'It was such sad news to hear,' she said. 'It's really shocking when someone so young and so healthy faces something like that. But we know that she's such a fighter and I think she said herself, she'll take that fight into what she's facing now. But we all were just thinking of her and are behind her. And I guess it really puts a lot of things in perspective.' After the National Championships, Healy will race the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on August 16th. Then it's on to the Diamond League final in Zurich on August 27th – she currently tops the 1,500m standings – before heading off to Tokyo, where the World Championships begin on September 13th. Her victory at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, when Healy kicked from third to first inside the last 20m, was indeed rare. It was only the second Irish victory on the Diamond League circuit since it was introduced in 2010. Rhasidat Adeleke also won the 400m in Monaco last year and while Mark English won the 800m in Birmingham in 2019, that race wasn't part of the Diamond League programme. 'It's such an amazing stadium to compete in and it was really cool to win,' Healy says of her Rome victory. 'And I just tried to soak it in because obviously I realised that winning Diamond Leagues is extremely rare. And even just winning races as a professional athlete is rare.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Niamh Mallon's goal makes the difference as Galway book spot in All-Ireland camogie final with win over Tipperary
NIAMH MALLON'S goal gave Galway the daylight they needed as the Tribeswomen set up an All-Ireland camogie final rematch with old foes Cork. The Westerners were deserving winners but did not have it all their own way at Nowlan Park. Tipperary fought to the end and it took a sensational block by Tribe corner-back Dervla Higgins to deny Jean Kelly a goal that might have made for a nervy finish. When Mallon pointed off the stick via keeper Laura Leenane's hurley in the 25th minute, Galway seemed Croke Park-bound, 0-8 to 0-2 in front and full value for their lead. Tipp had lost full-back Karin Blair to injury at the end of the first quarter but a speculative shot by her defensive colleague Karen Kennedy in the 26th minute was miscontrolled into the net by Galway keeper Sarah Healy. Suddenly, all the momentum was with Denis Kelly's Premier. Casey Heffernan and Eimear Heffernan shot scores and Grace O'Brien brought her tally to four points from placed balls. Read More on Camogie Incredibly, the sides went in level — 0-9 to 1-6 — at the break. But Cathal Murray's Tribeswomen kept their composure. Ailish O'Reilly — who notched 0-4 — set up Mallon for her 39th-minute goal, with Carrie Dolan hitting 0-6 in total to steer the Connacht side to victory and a shot at All-Ireland final revenge. GALWAY : Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins; R Hanniffy, A Starr, E Helebert; C Dolan 0-6, 4f, A Donohue; O Rabbitte, A O'Reilly 0-4, C Hickey; N Mallon 1-2, M Dillon 0-3, C Kelly 0-2. Subs : S Gardiner for Helebert 42mins; S Rabbitte 0-1 for Dillon, A Hesnan for Starr 52; N Niland for Kelly; J Hughes for O Rabbitte 60+1. Most read in GAA Hurling TIPPERARY : L Leenane; J Bourke, K Blair, C McCarthy; E Loughman, M Eviston, S Corcoran; K Kennedy 1-1, C Maher; E Heffernan 0-1f, C Hennessy 0-1, G O'Brien 0-7f; M Burke, R Howard, C McIntyre. Subs : E Carey for Blair inj 20mins; J Kelly 0-1 for Burke 44; A McGrath for Maher 55. REFEREE : J Heffernan (Wexford). 1 Ailish O'Reilly, right, and Niamh Mallon of Galway celebrate after the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie Senior Championship semi-final against Tipperary Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Cathal Dennehy: The path to senior success does not run in a straight line
The trajectory is never straight, never simple. To achieve what Kate O'Connor and Sarah Healy have this year, vast talent is a prerequisite, but there's so much more to it. It's now six years since they won silver medals at European U-20 level – O'Connor in the heptathlon, Healy over 1500m. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Nick Griggs wins silver at European Under-23 Championships in Norway
Nick Griggs has won silver for Ireland in the 5,000m at the European Under-23 Championships, clocking 13:45.80. The 20-year-old added to Team Ireland's medal haul from the event in Bergen, Norway after Anika Thompson took gold in the 10,000m and Nicola Tuthill won silver in the hammer on Friday. 'We walked out the first few hundred so I was like, 'let me just take this out',' said Griggs after Saturday's race. 'I was risking losing the medal to go and get to win, but I wanted to do that.' After leading through 3,000m, the Tyrone man eventually had to surrender to the finishing kick of rising Dutch star Niels Laros, who won gold in 13:44.74. READ MORE At the Diamond League meeting in London, Ireland's 4x100m women's relay team stormed to an impressive new national record. Sarah Leahy (Killarney Valley AC), Ciara Neville (Emerald AC), Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC) and Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) combined to clock a time of 43.73 seconds, improving on the previous record of 43.80 which had stood since 2018. The quartet, racing together for the second time, finished fourth in a thrilling race won by Great Britain. Sarah Healy continued her excellent recent form to finish third in the women's mile. The Dubliner crossed the line in a time of 4:16.26, moving her to second on the Irish all-time list for the event behind Ciara Mageean. Rhasidat Adeleke also showed improvement, clocking a season's best of 22.52 into a slight headwind (-0.6m/s), to finish fourth in the women's 200m behind training partners Julien Alfred and Dina Asher-Smith. In the men's 800m, Mark English clocked 1:44.07, the third fastest time of his career, to finish seventh.
