O’Rourke up and running and back on track for Valencia
O’Rourke was forced to miss the Irish indoors in Belfast after bruising her foot during a hurdles session.
However, intensive treatment from renowned sports injury therapist, Gerard Hartmann, has paid off and the 60m hurdles champion this week had her first training session since the injury.
“While a scan is vital in determining the extent or otherwise of the damage, I took the added precaution of putting her through a vigorous exercise session at the clinic and she came through that without any problem,” Hartmann said.
“As a result of that I was in a position to give her the all clear to go back training but she took the added precaution of holding off on doing her first session until Monday.”
The world indoor championships take place at the Palau-Velodrom Lluis Puig in March which leaves her with a tight schedule but one which is unlikely to faze her simply because she has been along this road previously.
The year before last she bounced back from a nine-week lay-off with an abdominal muscle problem to equal her own Irish record on her first outing of the season at Cork City Sports and went on to win a silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the European championships in Gothenburg.
While that was a spectacular performance in its own right, the performance of her career to date was at the world indoor championships in Moscow the previous March when she took the 60m hurdles title in sensational style with a personal best.
“Having got the all-clear I would hope to race within seven to 10 days,” she said, although obviously the next few days will be the critical phase of her rehabilitation.
Meanwhile Mary Cullen is well into her rehabilitation after a visit to Dr Jempi Wellers, a Biomechanical Specialist, at his clinic in Belgium. She has been struggling with a foot injury since finishing second in the big road race in Providence in November but Gerard Hartmann feels that they have come to grips with it. Martin Fagan is still recuperating from a stress fracture which he picked up during the Dubai marathon and will miss the national cross-country championships in Belfast on March 1. “It is one race I really want to win but I will have to wait for another day,” he said.
Meanwhile Fionnuala Britton returned to her best form at San Vittore Olona at the weekend when she finished second to Pauline Korikwiang (Kenya) in a high quality cross-country race. The Kenyan won in 19:54 with Britton second in 20:01, ahead of local athlete, Fatna Maraoui, 2:05 and Hayley Yelling of Britain (20:34).
The KitKat Munster schools cross-country championships at Tramore Racecourse (12.30pm) has attracted a record entry of more than 800 athletes.
Craig Murphy (Douglas Community School) will be the hot favourite for the senior boys’ title. Last year he was a gallant runner-up to in-form David McCarthy (St Augustine’s) who is now on an athletics scholarship at Providence College.
The Togher athlete impressed the weekend before last when finishing third in the junior international cross-country in Belgium having led the field into the final 400m. Two days earlier and without his assistance, Douglas Community School — with four in the top six — retained the senior boys’ title at the South Munsters and will take a lot of beating this year.
Ryan Creech (Glanmire Community College), who was an impressive winner at the South Munsters, will be favourite to win the intermediate boys’ title in the absence of Shane Quinn (DLS Waterford) who is taking a break after last weekend’s international commitments.
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