Phil Healy: 'We know there are people cheating all the time and others are losing out on opportunities'

“It’s really positive they are getting caught and hopefully it’ll discourage people from cheating the sport,” says Healy.

21 February 2022; Sprinter Phil Healy of Bandon AC, Cork, will be in action at the 2022 Irish Life Health National Indoor Championships which take place at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena on February 26th and 27th. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

It was a case that showed the dark side of athletics, but also a window towards a brighter future. When Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, one of the world’s fastest women, was handed a 10-year ban last week – five for using multiple banned substances, five for refusing to co-operate with the investigation – it sent a strong message to those caught cheating: tell the truth or face the consequences.

Okagbare’s refusal to assist the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in attempting to uncover a wider doping web led to a career-ending ban for the 33-year-old, who was found with traces of human growth hormone and recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in her system before the Tokyo Olympics. One of those due to race Okagbare there was Phil Healy, who saw last week’s decision for the good news story it was.