Name: Sophie Becker
Club: Raheny Shamrocks AC
Event: 400m, Mixed 4x400m and Ladies 4x400m
Personal Best: 51.13
Tokyo Schedule: Sun 14 Sep Heats 11.25am. Semi-Final Tue 4 Sept 1.05pm Final: Thurs 16 at 2.24pm
Background
Sophie Becker came through the juvenile ranks with St Josephs AC in South Kilkenny where she was coached by Pat Power. Throughout her juvenile years she had a lot of success over the shorter sprinting events mostly 100m, while also being a member of a successful club relay (one member of which was Mia Griffin who represented Ireland at Track cycling in the Paris Olympics).
Making the move to Raheny Shamrocks, she is now coached by Gerard O’Donnell and Aideen Sinnott, who coaches so many of our top sprinters who will represent Ireland in Tokyo. For her Olympic year she worked part-time, and this year made the decision to become a full-time athlete.
Her list of major championship appearances is extensive. Becker’s first foray into major internationals came in 2017 when she competed over 400m and the 4x400m relay at the European u23 Championships in Poland. The following year she made her senior European Championships debut as part of the Irish 4x400m relay quartet. Since then, Sophie Becker has maintained a strong relay presence on Irish teams. Individually her 400m career was also taking off: European Indoor and Outdoor Championships along with World Indoor and Outdoor championships all had her name on the start list. She retained her 400m title at this year’s National Championships – marking her 6th national title.
Her Olympic Games debut was in Tokyo in 2021 as part of the 4x400m mixed relay that finished 8th in the final. Returning to Tokyo for the World Championships, it will be a different experience with the stands full of enthusiastic supporters instead of the emptiness of the post covid Olympics.
It wasn’t until 2022 that Becker joined forces with Sharlene Madwsley as part of the relay squads. Since then, she has been an ever-present member of the ladies 4x400m team and plays a part in the mixed relays too. Her individual 400m career saw her take part in the 400m in both the Europeans in Rome and the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. With representation at all majors, Sophie Becker will make her third world championship appearance in Tokyo and her first at individual level.
International Majors
2017: European Championships u23 Poland 400m H3 8th
2017: European Championships u23 Poland 4x400m 6th Final
2018: European Championships Berlin 4x400m H1 8th
2019: European Indoors Glasgow 400m H2 5th
2019: European Championships u23 Sweden 400m H3 3rd
2021: European Indoors Poland 400m H2 3rd
2021: World Relays Poland 4x200m H1 2nd
2021: Olympic Games Tokyo 4x400m Mixed 8th Final
2022: World Indoors Serbia 4x400m H2 3rd
2022: World Indoors Serbia 400m H3 4th
2022: European Championships Munich 4x400m 6th Final
2022: World Championships Oregon 4x400m mixed 8th Final
2023: European Indoors Turkey 400m H1 3rd
2023: European Indoors Turkey 4x400m 5th Final
2023: World Championships Budapest 4x400m Mixed 6th Final
2023: World Championships Budapest 4x400m 8th Final
2024: World Indoors Glasgow 4x400m 5th Final
2024: European Championships Rome 400m SF2 4th
2024: European Championships Rome 4x400m Mixed 1st Final
2024: European Championships Rome 4x400m 2nd Final
2024: Olympic Games Paris 400m RR4 2nd
2024: Olympic Games Paris 4x400m Mixed H2 5th
2024: Olympic Games Paris 4x400m 4th Final
2025: World Championships Tokyo 400m, 4x400m relay and 4x400m Mixed
Personal Bests
400m: 51.13 11/05/2024
400m (i): 52.64 22/02/2022
200m: 23.51 09/07/2024