Lauren Cadden: 'I am really trying to back myself'

From helping the 4x400 women's relay team win silver at the European championships, to being part of the Paris Olympics, 2024 was quite the year for Lauren Cadden.

In what was a memorable year for Irish athletics, Cadden stepped up on the biggest occasions as she now hopes to continue her success.

The Sligo runner has gone from strength to strength as she prepares for the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands next weekend.

Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, Cadden says 2024 was the year dreams were made of. However, she overcame adversity during the indoor season and never looked back.

"It went from strength to strength. Last year, the indoors didn't go well at all.

"I came away from indoors with a sense of, you either give it your everything now and try to do what you’ve wanted to do all year, or you let this crumble you.

"Thankfully, I came home from a training camp in Portugal and I set a PB in my first outdoor race. I think I achieved a PB in all three of my outdoor races. I just went from strength to strength."

As a 400m relay athlete, Ireland is blessed with an abundance of talent in this event.

The team of Rhasidat Adeleke, Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker, and Phil Healy became a force to be reckoned with in 2024.

Cadden played a key role in helping the team reach the final at the European Championships. However, at the Olympics, she had to take on the challenging role of a substitute, a position she found difficult but was ultimately grateful for.

"It was an amazing year. In Paris, it ended in heartbreak to some extent. Even though I was there, I always wanted to be the best version of myself, and that’s just the type of athlete I am.

"Being a sub was hard, but I have to sit back and look at it from the