DERVAL O’ROURKE HAS eased concerns over her Olympic participation after sitting out the National Championships in Santry yesterday.
The 100m hurdler, who is one of Ireland’s best hopes for a medal at London 2012, withdrew suddenly from the event meaning she was unable to win a tenth national title, which cast doubt over whether she would be fit to compete later this month.
However, on her blog, O’Rourke has revealed that her absence was due to a stiff back after running in Loughborough the previous day. It is an area which has caused her problems in the past and, after a physio session, she felt it was best to rest up.
“I got home last night (Saturday) and felt stiff and tired after two races on a cold, rainy day in Loughborough,” she wrote. “When I warmed up today (Sunday) I just wasn’t feeling great. I was actually moving pretty fast but was stiff in a few places.
This made me a little worried especially as my achilles and groin were both stiff. Sean was with me and decided if I was stiff running then it would be worse hurdling so off I went to see the physio.
“He had a good look and did loads of work (basically beat the crap out of me!!!). He reckons that my back had gotten quite tight, maybe from racing and a couple of hours later getting on a flight.”
Despite the set-back, the 31-year-old added that she was disappointed to miss out but aims to have made a full recovery by the weekend.
“The plan is to take some anti-inflammateries, have a few ice baths and let everything settle. After I saw the physio I was feeling quite sad and upset at not running, I really do like to run nationals.
“It’s no major drama and I have a physio check up in the morning. The plan is to race next Saturday.”