Disappointment for Cork's Phil Healy at European Championships

Having built her year around the European Championships, she had to watch as her chances crumbled in the heats of the women’s 400m. She summed up with one simple word: 'shocking'

DISAPPOINTMENT: Phil Healy of Ireland after competing in the Women's 400m heats during day 5 of the European Championships 2022 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

For Phil Healy, this was a tough one to take – maybe the toughest. Having built her year around the European Championships, the 27-year-old had to watch as her chances crumbled in the heats of the women’s 400m on Monday night, her time of 53.10, which placed her sixth, she summed up with one simple word: “shocking.” 

Healy had run below 52 seconds six times indoors this year, though it was clear she wasn’t quite in the same form outdoors, given her sole race below that was the 51.82 she ran in Geneva in early June. Healy decided to bypass last month’s World Championships to prioritise the Europeans, but it was a move that didn’t pay off.