Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
CONCENTRATING NOT ON the Jamaican to her outside, or the Dutch on her inside, Sophie Becker had eyes only for the purple rubber of the Stade de France track and her 4x400m teammate Phil Healy.
She stunned off the blocks this morning, storming through her first 300 metres to emerge from the last bend of the relay first leg in pole position.
She was running blind, not knowing if Jamaica were ‘having a really good run or a really bad one’, and it suited her.
Becker’s 50.88 split – the second fastest opening leg from the two stacked heats – gave the baton to Cork’s Healy before any of Ireland’s competitors released their cylinders.
We were breathing rare air in Saint-Denis.
If the ever-dependable Healy and Olympic debutante Kelly McGrory could put in strong shifts having been handed the lead, Sharlene Mawdsley would be in a position to take the team home in the top three – an all-important automatic qualification spot.
Healy, a 200m specialist, had the imposing Lieke Klaver in her leg but kept an astonishing distance between them through the stagger unwinding and beyond. She would have only felt the Dutch woman’s breath on her neck in the final 50m, at which point her job was complete.
McGrory then had the luxury of being on the extreme inside for the baton handover. Ireland were still in first place.
“I knew even at 300m where Sophie was, she was miles ahead of everyone else. So I knew I had to use that 200m speed; I’d say I ran a 200m PB out there in the first half,” Healy told David Gillick after the heat.
There was a lot of running still to do but this Ireland team were in the midst of a moment.
McGrory, who had waited until the third-last day of the Games to be able to call herself an Olympian, took over the baton to repeat Healy’s feats.
“I knew I had to work hard at the start, like we got the baton changed over at just about the same time as the Dutch,” she recalls after the race. “I just wanted to be in front and especially at the 200 mark when we’re getting lined up for Sharlene.”
In fact, McGrory stretched Ireland’s lead out over the first bend and back straight, elongating the distance between her and Myrte van der Schoot of the Netherlands.
It was only as the final bend was navigated and pressure came on from Jamaica’s Charokee Young that McGrory’s placing started to slip.
Tying up, she was overtaken by the Dutch and Canadian runners but her championship legs fended off the challenge from the Italians.
Mawdsley, now known across Ireland as an anchor leg magician, received the baton in fourth position in the inside lane.
Nail-biting stuff for the green jerseys in the stand, the best fuel for the Tipperary woman.
“I trust myself so much in that last 100 metres in a relay and I just charged for home.”
A tactical race, she said that while she always looks in control, making the decision about when ‘to go’ is a constant question mark.
This morning, Kyra Constantine from Canada was her barometer. Hugging the inside of the track, form perfect, she was – she says – uncharacteristically patient. The brave move was to wait. It wasn’t until the final bend of the final leg was behind her that she moved to the outside of Constantine, telling her in two quick strides that she was just toying with her all along.
The Jamaicans were clear but the 26-year-old made sure the Dutch, in second, would fear them ahead of tomorrow evening’s final, even if she didn’t catch Lisanne de Witt before the line today.
Her 49.74 split was the second fastest of the morning, beaten only by Shamier Little’s second leg 49.22 for the Americans in heat one.
“I do think we could have come probably first or second to be honest, you know, but we have a little bit in our legs for tomorrow,” she tells The 42 and other journalists in the back rooms of Stade de France as they make their way back to the village, excitement across the quartet still palpable.
“I’m so proud of that performance. We wanted to come top three and that’s exactly what we did.”
There had been some chatter across athletics commentators that Mawdsley and Becker should have sat out their repechages in the individual 400m to give this team a better chance at qualification for the final.
“I think honestly, the repechage kind of helped,” Becker says – before even being asked, a hint of some likely, extra motivation for that 50.88. “I felt really good after my race a few days ago and I was like, ‘I’m just dying to go again.’ So yeah, it speaks for itself.”
But was it nice to prove the point?
“I don’t think we need to say anymore – like we both have run the races of our lives. So yeah, repechage was a good idea.”
Later, Healy picks up the narrative baton.
“This is their fourth run. Obviously they had a tough campaign doing the mixed, two rounds of the repechage but as Sophie says, how can you deny anybody of their individual event? It’s so so hard to qualify for an individual event in an Olympic Games so the girls did everyone proud – themselves and everyone back home, so it’s a credit to them and then to come out again with us on the relay with not so fresh legs.”
Tonight, they return to the village to recover and recharge – and await the final of their teammate Rhasidat Adeleke.
“It’ll probably be a waiting game to see what happens there but we’re all guns blazing, and we’re ready to go all ready for tomorrow,” Mawdsley says. The ideal play would be for Adeleke to be able to return to the track tomorrow with the trio of Mawdsley, Becker and Healy.
But selection isn’t on their minds right now. “I think if you put us back out right now we’d probably run faster because we’re all so happy. The support we have back home, the support we have in this stadium – like how could we not come away Olympic finalists? It was amazing.”
Ireland’s 4x400m women’s relay team is awaiting the result of the final of the 400m women’s individual event to see who will line up in an Olympic final tomorrow.
Two sprint finals in two days at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Rare air, rare times, indeed.
Written by Sinead O’Carroll and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
‘There’s a perception out there that if you don’t have a job, don’t go to work and you end up a drug addict,it’s your own fault.’ Well if it’s not their own fault then whose is it?
ISIS?
‘Society’s’ or so the Hug a Thug brigade would have you believe.
Would you deny that in our society, those born into privilege have considerably more opportunities available to them than those born into poverty?
You’re right Graham, those born into privilege can better afford drugs.
Understanding how your circumstances can affect your life takes an abstract reasoning ability greater than you find in an average jar of mayonnaise, which is unfortunately out of the reach of most Journal readers.
Haha, here here JayK
We need to take a fresh look at how we view these issues, looking for someone to blame solves nothing, while trying to understand why people from all walks of life can become addicts may find answers.
if you’re proofin’ you’re losin’
When we read the family law court reports here of children taken into care after years of neglect and seriously dysfunctional and abusive home lives we don’t blame the children. When those children survive and grow up – often bounced around courts and care placements – and the dysfunction continues, albeit in a different environment – we try not to blame the children / young adults. Why then is it somehow okay to blame the same people when they’re adults and may be unemployed and with addiction problems? Not everyone starts out in life with the same chances , and opportunities, and ways of thinking and coping. We’re into second and third generations of addiction now and these families have never known any different. Blaming those that may be significantly less fortunate than any of us serves no good – I very much doubt that any addict actually wants to be in the lifestyle that they find themselves in, irrespective of how they ended up that way. Blaming isn’t going to change anything – compassion, empathy and some progressive action may do something to change things though.
That was in reply to luke Sarpish but posted in wrong place!
Lol, let’s do everything we can to keep dangerous drug addicts on the street.
no-one should be on the streets, but dealing with that knotty issue is beyond us it seems
Article a bit light on details, where is the drug being made available?
Ps naloxone was invented 40 years ago.
Why are we investing money in keeping a drug addict alive?The only helpful thing they can do is overdose.Please let them get on with it.
I think the world would be better off without ignorant savages like yourself, but we’re stuck with you too. Shame.
At least a lot of drug addicts actually try to get help with their condition. Some people on the comments section actually seem satisfied with being utter d*cks.
About 80% of people who comment on the Journal are lifeless a-h0les like Steve Denman, Alan Ball and David Dickenson. Image how ashamed their mothers must be!
Or dead.
Good to see they are looking after the taxpaying law abiding citizens.Typical of the liberal influences that rears its head every now and again in the HSE …managers my arse…murderers by default..let the junkies die they are no loss…
your inhumanity puts you at the very bottom of the pile.
Right, so this drug is about €20 for five shots. Yet the cost of an EpiPen is about €70 and you need a minimum of 2 (in case the first doesn’t work) and they have a short shelf life so need to be replaced regularly. Priorities??
It’s not the government that sets the price it’s the pharmaceutical companies, their priority is profit.
When it comes to life saving medication for conditions that are beyond the control of the patient, prices should be kept in check. I highly doubt that this the end users of Naloxone are the ones funding their medication.
Could be worse, have you seen the price of an Epi in the states these days? $600 a pack! Are they not covered on Medical Card/DPS over here anyways?
Why bother?
Because we’re human and don’t like to see people die because they made bad choices and struggle to help themselves?
I do….fk them
Alan you have lost someone close, think about her when you say things like this.
Dying would be the happiest thing for them as the chronic suffering they cause to friends, family and everyone else is burden onto themselves as much as it is to everyone else. I think we should forgive children for making maths mistakes, not adults who are stupid enough to overdose – that’s called evolution.
I can’t imagine anyone with a loved one in the grips of addiction wishing they were dead so as not be a bother anymore.
The comments on this article are disgusting. Addiction is an illness whether you that accept that or not. It’s no wonder there’s such a problem with mental health in in this country.
While I certainly sympathise with the families of serious drug addicts I am thankful that I have never had to experience the devastation caused in families because of an addicts destructive selfish behavior. I do really think though that there are this kind of thing should be a very low priority when it comes to HSE resources. IMHO I know it sounds quite harsh the death of an addict by overdose is a merciful release from a miserable existence of dependency, crime, and disease.
While I certainly sympathise with the families of serious drug addicts I am thankful that I have never had to experience the devastation caused in families because of an addicts destructive selfish behavior. I do really think though that this kind of thing should be a very low priority when it comes to HSE resources. IMHO I know it sounds quite harsh the death of an addict by overdose is a merciful release from a miserable existence of dependency, crime, and disease.
Not all addicts are criminals shooting up in alley ways. Not all addicts are destroying their families. A lot of addicts are functional, have jobs, have families, never stole a thing in their lives. You’d be very surprised by the sheer amount of functional addicts that exist in society. Most you’d never even notice unless you were an addict yourself.
This kind of thing should be a high priority because saving lives should be the priority of the HSE. Resources need to be spent saving lives, saving all lives with quality healthcare. Addicts are not draining the HSE of resources, the government are draining money from the HSE.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a criminal shooting up in an alleyway or a middle class woman with 3 kids shooting up in the office bathroom. You deserve healthcare and you deserve to be taken into consideration. Nobody should be left to die.
An awful lot of hate in the comments section. Even though they’re annoying/drain on society or whatever, they’re still human beings at the end of the day. Best of luck to them!
When you get mugged by one of those “human beings”, you will change your mind…
Orlaith well said
I was given morphine via a spinal epidural for a c section. Within minutes I was having a severe allergic reaction and was so glad to have naloxine.
One death a day from OD that is pure fecking BULLSHIT THE BROWN NOT THAT GOOD IN TOWN AS THEY ARE ALL ON TABLETS eveni g the dogs on the street know that
are you on the tablets..?
Most of the deaths are caused cause people are mixing opiates with other drugs or they misjudge their own tolerance. Nothing to do with quality.
It’s interesting the contrast between this country and the Philippines where the current president is encouraging his security forces to shoot dead drug addicts and dealers. The reality for that country is nothing else but this type of drastic measure will work, while we in Ireland, with the active participation of the government are trying to keep drug addicts alive.
He’s also encouraging the public to kill SUSPECTED addicts and dealers. He’s also rounding up people he disagrees with, journalists and other politicians, and killing them too. There’s no data proving that there’s been a fall in drug use in the Philippines.
However in Portugal, where they’ve decriminalized all drugs, drug use has fallen, HIV/AIDS diagnoses have drastically fallen, Portugal’s drug use rates remain below the European average and far lower than the United States which has an extremely strict policy on dealing with drug users.
Five lives well worth saving, too.
I can see other drug addicts using this to get a high myself now?
Naloxone does not have any effect on a person unless they are overdosing, as it is only designed to counteract and block the effects of opioids. If it is given to someone who has not taken opioids, it will have no effect as It cannot be used to get high, since there is no overdose to block. You cannot get high on naloxone.
But that won’t stop some eejits from using it to try it or mixing it with something else hoping to get a high, there are always people out there who will try anything. Thank you for letting me know that as I did not know, thanks.
have your say