The42 talks to Sophie Becker after a successful campaign for Ireland at the World Championships.
IT STARTED WITH coming last in races. And then second-last. And then. And then. And then, creeping up the field to where she is now.
“I’d hop the ball, take three steps as fast a I could but then I’d have to solo….” she recalls. Speed can’t save you on a pitch if the skills aren’t sticking. To be a strong 400m runner is to know how to wait. Not quite the quick dash of a 100m or 200m, but also not quite the lung squeezing slog of 800m and 1,500m distances. This is the midway point. Starting from the blocks before all lanes blend into one crowd of straining faces and spikes pounding for one fiery lap. Running hard and smart in equal measures.
“They’ve all been top eight throughout the last couple of years. I was part of the mixed relay in 2021 for Tokyo and I think, credit to the coach Drew Harrison, he was the one who saw the opportunity with the mixed relay. It’s the unanswerable riddle for athletes: give yourself fully to sport at the expense of it potentially consuming you, or have a separate professional career that will always put a ceiling over your where you can go in your sport. Becker knows the cost of her choice.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO The Irish women’s 4x400m team of Roisin Harrison, Kelly McGrory, Sophie Becker and Sharlene Mawdsley at the World Championships. Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO