No regrets as Derval bows out with head held high

The fairytale ending may not have materialised but Derval O’Rourke had few regrets as she bade farewell to her third and final Olympic Games in London last night.

O’Rourke’s relationship with the global showpiece has been a fractured one with illness derailing her chances in Athens and poor form in Beijing four years ago.

Now 31, the sunny shores of Brazil in 2016 is a hurdle even she would struggle to negotiate.