Derval can bounce back in Beijing, says therapist Hartmann

“DON’T write Derval O’Rourke off,” was the clear message from world renowned sports injury therapist, Gerard Hartmann, as the former world indoor hurdles champion packed her bags for the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Hartmann, who treats leading athletes from around the globe, arrived back at his Limerick clinic from Kenya on Wednesday night, and on Saturday flew out to the Olympic holding camp in Macau with the Great Britain team.

But he had sufficient time to assess O’Rourke’s groin injury and treat her, before herself and Olive Loughnane departed for the Irish athletes’ training camp in Matsue.

Just over a week earlier, she had strained a groin abductor muscle in a training session two days after her promising if not spectacular run at the national championships in Morton Stadium. “The scan showed up a pretty nasty tear,” the Limerick guru said. “I have advised her not to train for another five days, which means she should not train until Wednesday.

“I know she will have missed a lot of valuable time in the lead up to the Olympic Games but I am pretty confident she will have enough done to give a good account of herself in Beijing.

“Physically she is in great shape so she will have absolutely no worries in that department. I think she will at least make the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles, so don’t write her off.”

Meanwhile the Irish athletes who are already here in Beijing will assemble at the Athletes’ Village this evening for the flag-raising ceremony.

Elsewhere Kelly Proper finally broke Terri Cahill’s (nee Horgan) 16-year-old senior long jump record at the European athletics development meeting in Amsterdam at the weekend with a jump of 6.51 metres.

Terri Cahill, who hails from Mallow and is married to former international high hurdler Sean Cahill, set the old record at 6.48m in Brussels in 1992. Both herself and Sean are part of Derval O’Rourke’s coaching team.

After a lovely sunny day in Amsterdam turned damp and dreary on Saturday evening, Proper, who has set a succession of under-23 records this season, had a wind-assisted 6.57m (wind+2.1) jump earlier to brighten proceedings.

“Overall she had a superb series in what were difficult conditions,” Irish team manager, Br. John Dooley, said. “She did 6.57m on her first visit to the pit and then produced the legal jump at a time when athletes would normally be getting tired.”

And Mick Byrne is set to leave Iona College and become Head Coach at Wisconsin, one of the top three athletic colleges in the United States, in what can only be described as a sensational move.

While the move has come as a surprise, it marks a major milestone in the career of the inspirational Dubliner, who has developed a superb programme at Iona.