Gráinne’s dream ends... as road to Rio commences

There were no tears or tantrums as Irish swimmer Gráinne Murphy bade farewell to the London Olympics last night.

Instead the 19-year-old Wexford girl, who has been forced to withdraw from the Games due to illness, has vowed to learn from the painful experience as she bids to make Rio in 2016.

The former European silver medal winner came to London with realistic hopes of making the 800m freestyle final.

But it yesterday emerged she has been battling illness for much of this year and following an uninspired performance on Sunday over 400 metres, she and her coaching team agreed there was little to be gained by competing in her favoured event tomorrow.

Murphy made her decision in consultation with her coach Ronald Claes, High Performance Director Peter Banks along with family members. But she also sought advice from outside swimming circles.

She revealed: “It was very hard. I spoke to Sonia O’Sullivan, who has a lot of experience and it’s great to have her here. I spoke to Billy Walsh (boxing coach), and everybody has their own different views. Everybody was really on the same page. It didn’t make my decision easier but it made me come to terms with what I should do and what was best for me.”

Despite the heartbreak of the scenario, with Murphy managing only one swim in London, the New Ross teenager has vowed to use the trauma to her advantage as she plots a passage to the 2016 Games.

“I definitely think it is going to stand to me in the future. I’m only 19, I hope that if I qualify for Rio that this experience is going to be a huge benefit. I definitely enjoyed myself here. I think if I was in full fitness it would have been a different experience. But coming here was all about gaining as much experience as I could.”

An official Olympic Council press release had earlier reported that: “Gráinne was hit with a case of glandular fever last March and, despite all indications, her recovery has not been as speedy as hoped.”

However neither she nor her coach Claes would specify what the ailment was and instead referred to it as a virus.

When Murphy was asked about the symptoms she replied: ‘no comment.’

She continued “I don’t think I tried to keep it (the illness) hidden. It was a very personal thing. I had to get over it in the same way that anyone who is sick does. I suppose the timing of it was not very good for me and I came here to perform and unfortunately I didn’t perform. Coming here I had done everything I could after being sick for a month. I did everything I could do in my power, getting the support from the medical staff and getting the support from everyone in Limerick (where she trains). We all sat down and had a plan on how I could try to get the best out of it. Unfortunately it didn’t work out the way anyone had hoped.”

Coach Claes wasn’t putting any timeframe on Murphy’s return to the pool describing the duration of her break as ‘unlimited’ for now.

He said: “She needs to recover first from this and then we will set out another plan for the next four years just as we did in 2008. She basically swam qualifying times for this meet in 2010 when she was 17. It just shows what a massive talent she is.

“Her day will come after this.”

Murphy was unsure when she will leave London and return home for rest and relaxation.

“We have to sit down and discuss that but I’m definitely going to go home and try and get recovered and back into the pool as soon as I can, whenever I get my test results back that I’m in the clear to get in.”