DERVAL O’ROURKE’S quest to win a Championship medal has begun, as preparations intensify ahead of the 100m Hurdles Heats on Friday morning (2.20am Irish time).

Writing on her official blog, O’Rourke expressed excitement at the prospect of competing, while outlining an extensive list of essentials she has packed for her journey, including “barrys tea, crackers, dark chocolate” and “drugs – not the dirty bad kind the sleeping tablet/anti histamine/asthma drug kind”.

O’Rourke came fourth in the same event at the World Championships two years ago, setting a new Irish record of 12.67 in the process. She then improved on this record a year later at the European Championships in Barcelona, recording a time of 12.65 and taking silver at the event.

And far from being daunted by the occasion, the athlete is confident she can improve on past efforts:

“I think finishing fourth at the Indoors gave me the motivation to work harder for these Championships, so it some ways it helped and I feel that it refocused me on Daegu.”

She also dismissed fears that she would be affected by the climate in South Korea, stating:

“My races are usually under 13 seconds so the heat has little or no impact on me.  It has a bigger bearing on those who have to run longer in the heat.  For me it’s an advantage as my body is warmer and capable of going faster so hopefully that’s the case this week.”

O’Rourke had high praise for Irish compatriots Deirdre Ryan and Olive Loughnane, tipping both to make a significant impact at the event.

In addition to the Heats on friday, the 100m Hurdles semi-final will be taking place on Saturday (11am Irish time), with the final taking place the same day (1.00pm Irish time).

For more, read Derval O’Rourke’s blog>

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