Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Rhasidat Adeleke and Charlene Mawdsley at Paris. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile. THE 'Ballineen Bullet' received a rousing welcome back to her native west Cork after the Paris Olympic heroics of Ireland's 4x400m women's relay team.
Phil Healy (29) was visibly emotional as hundreds gathered in the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskeane to honour the sprinter who agonisingly missed out on a bronze medal despite the Irish women's relay team taking an incredible three seconds off the national record with a run of 3:19.90. Phil, together with Rhasidat Adeleke from Dublin, Sophie Becker from Wexford and Sharlene Mawdsley from Tipperary, delivered an Irish record performance in the Olympic final of the 4x400m women's relay and were denied a bronze medal by just 0.
18 seconds. The US comfortably won the gold medal with the Netherlands taking the silver and Britain clinching the bronze after also delivering a national record breaking performance. Phil was greeted by proud family and friends before leading a special parade through the villages.
"It was bittersweet," Phil said. "We were agonisingly close to a medal but (we delivered) a performance we will forever be proud of." The stunning time of the Irish relay stars would have won a medal in any other Olympic 4x400m relay final with the solitary exception of Seoul '88.
To mark the Olympic parade, both Ballineen and Enniskeane were bedecked in Tricolours, Olympic ring placards and posters paying tribute t.