SOPHIE BECKER believes Ireland’s relay teams can do something special at these Olympics.
The athletics gets going today with Andrew Coscoran, Cathal Doyle and Luke McCann in the men’s 1500m heats and McCann’s sister Jodie in the women’s 5,000m heats.
Eric Favors throws in the shot put, with the 4x400m mixed relay team also in action.
Rhasidat Adeleke is not expected to run in that as she focuses on the individual 400m, in which Sharlene Mawdsley and Becker will also compete.
The three will be part of the women’s 4x400m relay, the races for which are after the individual events.
Part of the mixed relay team which made the final in Tokyo, Becker said: “It’s a really exciting time for 400m running in Ireland.
“We knew that was the start of something special.
“That relay is what really spurred people on.
“We saw you can make an Olympic final, you can make a world final, by being on a relay team and for a lot of athletes maybe that’s not possible individually but it is absolutely possible in the relays.
“And the other thing is no one is safe.
“We see how much that team has changed since Tokyo, it’s constantly revolving with different members, which is exciting . . . you can’t become complacent.”
On the chances for the women’s relay team, she said: “Nobody wants to jinx it but we were second at Europeans, we’ve three women in the individual.
“We’d be disappointed if we didn’t make the final.
“If you’re in the final, anything can happen.
“We would definitely be in the running for a medal.”
Meanwhile, Doyle hopes to follow in the footsteps of Niall Bruton, having been schooled by the 1996 Olympian’s coach Peter McDermott at Clonliffe Harriers.
Doyle said: “We’ve a Clonliffe Wall of Olympians and I’ve always said I want to be on that wall.”
He then revealed: “I was in London last summer, I went into an Under Armour shop and I was like, ‘That looks like Niall Bruton’.
“I just chanced my luck, ‘Are you Niall Bruton?’
And he was like, ‘No one knows me over here’.
“He was dead sound. He has helped me loads, helped get me an agent.
“Now I’ve taken all his records this season.”