Repeated stress fractures saw Aoife return home mid-way through a US college scholarship in 2007. She qualified as a PE teacher in UCC and now works as a personal trainer but was out of competitive athletics for six years.

Her 2:32 run to win the Irish title in the 2019 Dublin Marathon, which knocked 14 minutes off her PB, encouraged her to rediscover her talent.

Her 2:38.36 in Cheshire in April knocked four minutes off her PB, put her fourth on the Irish all-time list and qualified her for Tokyo.

Tokyo Olympian Aoife Cooke began her athletic career at a young age, earning a scholarship to Arkansas Tech University in 2007. However, recurrent stress fractures led her to return to Ireland, where she qualified as a physical education teacher from University College Cork.

After a six-year hiatus from competitive athletics, Cooke made a remarkable comeback. In 2019, she won the Irish national title at the Dublin Marathon with a time of 2:32:34, improving her personal best by 14 minutes.

In April 2021, Cooke secured her spot at the Tokyo Olympics Gamnes by winning the Cheshire Elite Marathon in 2:28:36, becoming only the fifth Irish woman to break the 2:30 barrier.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Cooke faced challenging hot and humid conditions and did not finish the marathon.