Cork is Phil-led with pride!

A Cork runner was part of the relay team which has bagged yet another medal for Ireland in what has been a record breaking European Athletics Championships.

Phil Healy from Ballineen/Enniskean in county Cork was part of Ireland's 4x400m women’s relay team who last night secured a silver medal in Rome yesterday with a new national record time of 3:22.71.

Yesterday’s silver added to the gold medals of Ciara Mageaan in the 1500m and the mixed 4x400m relay team, alongside Rhadisat Adeleke’s silver in the 400m.

With the pressure of a country watching, the women’s relay team ran a superb race to claim the silver, smashing the old 4x400m record by a staggering 1.7 seconds.

The performance sealed a historic championship for the Irish, marking the best ever haul from an Irish team in the European Athletics Championships with four medals in total.

Sophie Becker was fast out of the blocks and recorded a split of 52.00, with Lieke Klaver ensuring the Netherlands led at the first changeover.

Adeleke (49.36) received the baton for Ireland's second leg and ran a storming 400m before handing over to Cork’s Phil Healy (51.51) with a slender lead for the penultimate leg.

A smooth changeover from Healy to Sharlene Mawdsley (49.84) saw Ireland chasing down the Netherlands who were anchored by world indoor 400m record holder Femke Bol.

Mawdsley ran a superb final leg, briefly looking as though she may challenge for gold coming into the final 50 metres, but ultimately settling for a superb silver medal for the Irish.

Ireland has claimed medals at 12 of the 25 previous editions of the European Athletics Championships and before this week in Rome, only one athlete had ever won gold in the event’s 90 year history – Cork’s Sonia O’Sullivan.

Phil Healy and the Irish team will be arriving home with their heads held high today.