Confirmed: Phil Healy's race is done as Cork sprinter announces retirement

NEXT CHAPTER: Bandon sprinter Phil Healy has called time on her athletics career on the track but insists "my connection to sport will always remain strong" Pic: Morgan Treacy, Inpho.

It was a career that blazed a trail for Irish sprinting, featuring multiple national records, a European medal and a thrilling Olympic 4x400m final. But now it’s finally reached the finish line.

Phil Healy has announced her retirement from international athletics, the 31-year-old Cork sprinter bringing the curtain down on a career that saw her represent Ireland 24 times at senior level.

She earned her first senior cap at the 2013 European Team Championships and her most recent at the 2025 World Relays.

“Athletics has given me memories that I will cherish forever, friendships that will last a lifetime and opportunities I could only have dreamed of as a young girl joining Bandon AC,” she said.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced so many special moments throughout my career. From breaking Irish records and winning national titles to becoming a two-time Olympian, competing in Olympic finals and standing on a European podium with my relay teammates, I have been lucky enough to achieve more than I ever imagined.” 

The two-time Olympian set three individual Irish senior records and played a role in more than a dozen national relay records. In 2018, she became the first Irishwoman in history to break 11.30 for 100m and 23 seconds for 200m, clocking national records of 11.28 in Santry and 22.99 at the Cork City Sports – marks which have since been bettered by Rhasidat Adeleke.

DID WE? Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley after the Women’s 4x400m Relay final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pic: Morgan Treacy

Having worked with coach Liz Coomey at Bandon AC as a junior, Healy spent most of her senior career under the guidance of Wexford native Shane McCormack.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she became the first Irish woman to compete in three track events at the same Games, lining up in the 200m, 400m and mixed 4x400m. That mixed relay team went on to make history by becoming the first Irish relay team to reach an Olympic final.

Individually, Healy produced one of her finest championship runs when finishing fourth in the 400m at the 2021 European Indoors, missing a medal by just 0.21 seconds.

A gifted junior, Healy had finished fourth in the European U-20 100m final in 2013. In 2016, she received international acclaim after a video of her comeback on the final leg of the women’s 4x400m at the Irish University Championships went viral, Healy overcoming a huge deficit to take victory for University College Cork.

Healy won 17 national senior titles across her career, eight indoors and nine outdoors, spanning distances from 60m to 400m. Her contribution to Irish relay success was also central to one of the great nights in Irish athletics at the 2024 Europeans in Rome, where the women’s 4x400m team claimed silver in a then national record of 3:22.71.

In recent years Healy battled Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that required careful management, but despite that she produced a magnificent run in the 2024 Olympic women’s 4x400m final, splitting a blazing 50.94 on the third leg.

The Irish quartet of Healy, Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley obliterated the national record, clocking 3:19.90 to finish fourth, missing a medal by just 0.18 seconds.

“Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with and learning from some truly remarkable people,” said Healy.

“No athlete achieves success alone, and I am deeply thankful to everyone who has been part of my journey. In particular, my family, friends, my coach Shane McCormack and his family have played an invaluable role in my development and success. I’m also extremely grateful to Athletics Ireland, Sport Ireland, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and their management teams for their support throughout my career.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who stood by me through both the highs and the lows. Your encouragement, belief and support have meant more than words can express.

“As I look ahead to the next chapter, I do so with great excitement and gratitude. Athletics will always hold a special place in my heart, having shaped my life and given me so many unforgettable experiences.

“While my competitive career may be ending, my connection to sport will always remain strong. I look forward to supporting my teammates and watching athletics continue to thrive and grow both in Ireland and beyond. Míle buíochas.”