Event: 3,000m steeplechase
Who is she? Wicklow native Stephanie Reilly will represent Ireland in the 3,000m steeplechase in her first appearance at the Olympics.
The 34-year-old, who is the daughter of Noreen O’Reilly, now lives in the US and fits coaching Bryant University’s Indoor Track & Field team in Rhode Island alongside her gruelling training schedule.
She also has a Masters degree in Guidance and Counselling from Providence College.
Road to London: Reilly achieved the ‘A’ standard by finishing just inside the needed time of 9:43.0 in New York last June and will be Ireland’s only representative in the event with Fionnuala Britton moving to longer distance.
Medal chances? Reilly finished sixth in the European Track and Field Championships in Helsinki recently to make the final, where she came in 12th place. It’s a tough ask but she has an outside chance of making the final in London but a podium finish is probably unrealistic.
If he was a YouTube video, she’d be… Sonic The Hedgehog. Run a bit, jump a bit, get to the finish line. That’s the gist of it, right?
YouTube credit: ZloolS
