Healy happy to wait her turn for vaccine

SPRINTER Phil Healy believes vulnerable people should be given the Covid-19 vaccine ahead of elite athletes.

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound had suggested Olympians should have priority in order to ensure the rescheduled Games go ahead in Tokyo in July as planned.

Although the 26-year-old Cork athlete dreams of making the Irish team for the Games, she expressed reservations about the Canadian’s suggestion.

“It’s so important that vulnerable people get it first before the athletes are even considered. We just have to maintain our bubbles and do what we can to keep ourselves safe and avoid putting ourselves at risk,” she said.

Based in Waterford, Healy has opted not to accept an invitation to compete in a high-profile indoor meeting in Ostrava. “I just decided not to take the risk and not to travel.

“I’m in the lucky position where I do have the (European Indoor) standard from last year. I ran the standard twice in the two 400s I ran, so I’ll sit on it for now,” added Healy, who plans to compete in the European indoor championships which are scheduled for Poland in early March.

Healy is weary of being asked whether she believes the Olympics will go ahead. “I don’t have the answer and nobody else has the answer. To me, they will be going ahead, until they’re cancelled. But it’s out of our control.”

It wouldn’t bother her racing in an empty stadium in Tokyo if spectators were barred.

“I’ve raced in stadiums in front of 70,000 as well as in the Morton Stadium where I broke an Irish record and there was no one in the stand,” she said speaking at an FBD press launch.