IRELAND’S MICHAEL MCKILLOP advanced to the final of the T38 800m at the World Para Athletics Championships this weekend, after winning his heat in bizarre circumstances.
McKillop came home in first place, but only after the race leader Dixon De Jesus Hooker Velasquez of Columbia, pulled up on the 400m mark.
Velasquez opened a significant lead on the chasing pack after taking off from the gun, and appeared to run out of steam after finishing the first lap.
This allowed McKillop and the other runners to battle it out for the two qualifying spots.
After briefly drifting into second place on the final stretch, McKillop took the winning qualifier spot with Louis Radius of France finishing just behind him.
Following the race, Irish team manager James Nolan spoke to RTE Sport about what may have happened to Velasquez.
“A very unusual race with the Colombian going off at World record pace and then dropping out at halfway.
“The only logical explanation being he was asked to do this by his team in the hope that Michael would take the pace and in turn affect his race in the final.
“Michael has far too much experience to be sucked in by such unusual team tactics and secured qualification always in control.”
Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Ireland’s Greta Streimikiyte, who missed out on a medal after she came fourth in the final of the T13 1500m in a season best time of 4:47.54.
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