Cuddihy stays positive despite run of injuries

Back, knee and calf muscle. It is hard to believe that 400 metres starlet Joanne Cuddihy is on the cusp of her Olympic debut, after a summer full of injury frustration.

Having qualified for Beijing by posting 50.73 seconds in the semi-finals of last year's World Championships, Cuddihy decided to concentrate full-time on athletics by taking a year out from her medical studies at UCD.

She moved to England last October to live and train at Loughborough University, coming under the wing of Nick Dakin, who also coaches David Gillick.

However, back problems hit her in the spring and although she started the summer season with a solid 51.98 in Hengelo in May, a knee injury suddenly curtailed her training and racing.

That forced her to miss last month's National Championships in Santry and the 24-year-old's injury jinx continued recently when she sustained a calf muscle strain.

The calf injury has prevented her from doing her regular 400m training in recent weeks and the worry is that her condition will not improve sufficiently at the Irish team's ten-day training camp in Matsue, Japan.

However, remaining stoic and confident that she can take her place on the blocks for her heats on Saturday, August 16, Cuddihy, like her injured team-mate Eileen O'Keeffe, is going to give it her best shot.

"Myself and Eileen, we see each other quite frequently in the physiotherapist! She's coming around I think, but it's going to be touch and go for both of us," she explained.

"It's been really tough but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We'll do everything we can, together with our support team, and do our absolute best and you can't hope for any more than that."

The Irish athletics team's injury worries have mounted in recent weeks, with Cuddihy, O'Keeffe (knee), Derval O'Rourke (groin) and Alistair Cragg (Achilles tendon) all receiving treatment.

"If you went to any country in the world, people building up for the Olympics, there's going to be a couple of casualties at these late stages," Cuddihy added philosophically.

"Unfortunately that's the nature of the sport, injuries are an absolute pain and it just happens sometimes.

"For everyone, the hard winter training is done so it's just a matter of keeping themselves right so they can go out there and perform."

Injuries aside, the former European Junior silver medallist is eagerly awaiting her first Olympics. Beijing cannot come quick enough for the well-supported sprinter.

"It feels fantastic to be finally going. Obviously I'll really enjoy the experience, but it will be more so after the race(s) that I'll really be able to soak it up," she insisted.

"Until then, we're really just going to try and get the job done as best we can.

"I've had absolutely fantastic support from home. I haven't been down there (in Kilkenny) much myself recently, but through my family, I'm hearing about people calling and leaving cards.

"I'd love to go out there and give them something to cheer about."