Members of the Irish athletics team have been welcomed home from the European Athletics Championships after the most successful championships for Irish athletes.
Among those were Sharlene Mawdsley and Sophie Becker, who were part of last night's silver medal success in the women’s 4x400m relay.
The relay team of Becker, Mawdsley, Phil Healy and Rhasidat Adeleke secured second in the race, in a new Irish record time of 3:22.71.
Family members and fans were in Dublin Airport to meet the team, which won two golds and two silvers at the competition in Rome.
Medal performance 'didn’t happen overnight’
The older sister of Ireland's European 4x400m silver medalist Phil Healy has hailed the team for their performance in last night’s race in Rome, saying that it "hasn’t been an overnight success".
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Joan Healy also said it was "far easier" being the athlete for such races, as being a spectator left her "on nerves all day".
"I was at the edge of my seat," she Healy said.
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"I had a sick feeling in my stomach, because we knew what was possible and I know how hard these girls have worked. This hasn't been an overnight success for this moment."
"It hasn't been an overnight success, these girls have worked so hard for so many years," she said, adding that: "We all knew they had a chance last night and it was just a brilliant sight to see."
"Either of us, and especially Phil, wouldn't be here without them"
Joan Healy said her parents were in Rome to watch Phil run.
"I spoke to my mum after the race and she was just hysterical," she laughed.
"But it was an amazing thing for them to see because, you know, they've been with us since we started athletics when we were ten and 11 and they've been travelling to championships with us all these years, and to finally see the girls and for Phil to finally get a medal at this stage in her career was just so amazing."
"We are a family of runners," she said, adding that their parents have supported us every step of the way - travelling up and down to Dublin and abroad."
"Either of us, and especially Phil, wouldn't be here without them."
Sharlene Mawdsley's mother Louise celebrates the Irish team's success in Newport
Youth runners want 'to be like Sophie Becker’
Three-time Olympian Dick Hooper of Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club, where Sophie Becker is a member, said Sophie is lucky to have come along at a time when "standards are so good".
"Irish athletics is on an up. She's become part of a quartet there that's on a mission," he said.
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"They've been knocking on the door for quite a few years now... their time came last night to deliver that medal. It puts them up there on the pantheon of Irish sporting heroes.
"It's been such a great week for Irish athletics. These girls are household names now, it's wonderful.
Mr Hooper said his club in Raheny has a "fantastic" youth section and all they want to do now is run relays "and be like Sophie Becker".
That is something that would have been "unheralded" a few years ago, he added.
"The girls summed it up last night - relay running now is the thing to do, everyone wants to try it."
'Phenomenal' for Newport local Mawdsley
Sarah Fagan, a primary school teacher and coach with Newport Athletics Club, said it was "phenomenal" for someone from the area to have achieved what Sharlene Mawdsley has achieved.
"It means so much to all the kids... they're so proud of her and it really encourages the kids to feel as though they could get to that level as well themselves someday," she said.
"The amount of new kids we've had joining the club recently is phenomenal and definitely down to Sharlene."
Ms Fagan ran underage races with Sharlene and said she was "always fast".
"Trying to pass the baton to her once she took off was very, very challenging, she always was the fastest on the team," she said.
"She was phenomenal. She always was brilliant."
Ms Fagan said there will be a "huge homecoming" for Sharlene "to show how proud everyone is".
'We are so proud of you'
Presentation College in Terenure has congratulated their past pupil Rhasidat Adeleke on her performance.
In a post on X last night, the Dublin secondary school said they were "so proud" of the 21-year-old.
Amazing again from our past pupil @rhasidatadeleke WHAT A CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Super running, we are so proud of you! 💚🇮🇪💪🥈 https://t.co/QzWVlerBbS
— Pres Terenure (@Pres_Terenure) June 12, 2024
