O’Rourke rests groin injury as Beijing preparation disrupted

DERVAL O’ROURKE is resting the groin injury that has cut short her Olympic preparations and is being treated by the Athletics Ireland medical staff under Dr Bill Cuddihy.

The former world indoor champion was enjoying her best form in two seasons when she strained a groin abductor muscle last week and was forced to withdraw from the British Grand Prix in London on Saturday and tonight’s Super Grand Prix in Monaco where she had secured prime lanes.

“It would obviously have been the best possible preparation for her,” Olympic team manager, Patsy McGovern, said. “It was most unfortunate but she is getting the best possible treatment from Dr Bill Cuddihy and his team.”

Gerard Hartmann, who has treated her in the past, will be back in the country on tomorrow night and will see her on Thursday before he flies out to Macau with the British Olympic team on Saturday.

Getting to Beijing will be a major achievement in itself for the Cork athlete. Since winning a silver medal at the European championships in Gothenburg two years ago she has been through a succession of frustrating injuries that cost her a defence of her world indoor title earlier this year.

“I would predict she will pull out of this one in time to give a good performance in Beijing,” Gerard Hartmann said. “With such injuries they need time and all a physio does is attempts to expedite the healing process.”

There was good news from the Joanne Cuddihy camp, according to Patsy McGonagle. “Joanne is making steady progress every day and we are all very hopeful,” he said. “After missing so much time at a critical stage it was always going to be a tight schedule but, fortunately, it appears to be working out well at the moment and we are quietly confident she will be OK for Beijing.”

But Eileen O’Keeffe is still troubled by the knee injury that kept her out of the Morton Memorial Meeting at Santry on Friday night.

“We will have to wait until we arrive at the training camp in Japan for her to throw,” the team manager said.

Meanwhile Alistair Cragg, who finished third in the 3,000m at Crystal Palace on Saturday, will put the finishing touches to his Olympic preparations in Monaco tonight when he competes in another 3,000m race.