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

Michael Bolton

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 perspective that I could have been at home.

"That meant a lot to me because it has been a childhood dream of mine. Getting a medal at the Europeans was amazing.

"That is something you dream of—standing on the podium and seeing the tricolour. I feel like that was the biggest atmosphere I had ever raced in, and I had a real sense of belonging. I was really happy with that because it can be quite daunting.

"2024 was amazing, and it probably set me up for 2025 with a renewed sense of hunger."

Next Thursday will see some of the world’s best athletes come together as Ireland sends a strong team to kickstart the new year on the track.

A tournament that captured the public's attention during the Olympics, Irish athletes will hope this can be the start of another promising year.

The event will mark Cadden’s first senior individual competition, and she is keen to enjoy this special milestone.

While she acknowledges that her strengths lie in the outdoor season, her indoor improvements have left her excited about her prospects.

"To be brutally honest, I didn’t think I would be going individually. Training was going really well, but then I picked up one or two small injuries that set me back slightly.

"I was quite disappointed with my first race, but I know I can race myself back into shape.

"When I made the national final, I knew I would be one of the six athletes on the relay squad, which I was obviously happy about—but to be honest, I am only really happy if I am in the strike four.

"Everyone is going to be a sub at some stage, but the more trips I go on, the hungrier I am. When I made it into the individual event on the points quota, I was delighted.

"This is going to be my first senior event individually, so it means a lot to me."

With a minor injury setback and a clear understanding that her best performances tend to come in the outdoor season, she knows it may not all go her way. However, Cadden is determined to back herself on the biggest stage.

"You can either shy away from it or say, I am going to put in the best performance I can.

"I do think I am a much better outdoor runner, but the fact that I set PBs indoors leaves me quite excited.

"I think when I get onto the outdoor track, that’s when I come to life. After indoors, I’ll go back into a training block where hopefully I can stay healthy.

"One of my main focuses this year is just to be confident in myself and my ability. That is something I have definitely struggled with over the years.

"I am really trying to back myself, trust my training, and see what I can do."