Mon 14 May 12

London 2012 Paralympic Games: Para Phrasing with Amanda Crotty, athlete

Joe Geraghty meets Amanda Crotty

“Watching people like Paralympic double gold medallist Jason Smyth doing so well shows us that it can be done with hard work and it’s very inspiring,” The words of Amanda Crotty, the 27 years old partially sighted athlete from Youghal, Cork, who may very well now find herself on the same plane as Jason Smyth as she heads for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Last August Amanda achieved the London A standard at the Athletics Ireland National Championships in Santry. Her 1500m track time of 5 minutes and 15 seconds is fact enough to see her welcomed with open arms as an A team member of any athletics club in Ireland.

Amanda runs with a guide using a tether or string. Rules do not permit the guide to run ahead of or and provide her with any advantage over other runners.
~When I do running the on road, where there are steps up and down, I need to have 100 per cent trust in my guide. We must both feel comfortable and avoid obstacles”, says Amanda.

Amanda Crotty has been involved in track and field since she was 10 years of age. She has won national and provincial schools competitions before moving up to senior level. She is a veteran of Irish Blind Sports annual May Games National Championships. Indeed she is current 800m and 1500m national champion. 5 years ago she was awarded Irish Blind Sports Personality of the Year.

In more recent years Amanda has travelled internationally. In June 2010 she won gold at 1500m at the World Games in Tunisia.

Apart from the aforementioned Jason Smyth, Ireland’s top sprinter, Amanda lists her other heroes as
Caitriona McKiernan (London Marathon winner) and Peter Maher, another top athlete who became Canada’s top Marathon Man). Indeed, Peter now coaches Amanda and believes she will soon break 5 minutes for the metric mile.

Amanda trains 6 days a week to achieve ever improving times. “I train in the gym Mondays and Fridays mornings and follow these with light evening runs On Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays I train on track, 30 miles from home, where I might do 5 × 800m intervals, or 8×400m intervals building up to speed work, maybe over 200m”. Wednesdays are kept for recovery sessions while Sunday, the day of rest, is sometimes kept for competition!

With just over one month to go now for selection for the Irish Paralympic team Amanda Crotty has a series of races lined up both at home and abroad.
So, how is she feeling: “it’s early season but my sprint training times are coming down to last year’s
levels”.

So, while the tense build up to selection beckons, Amanda Crotty could just be the first Youghal native ever to make it to Paralympic Games. You can do it, Amanda.

Tue 08 May 12

Mckillop Slaughters World 1500m Record at Olympic Park

First male to break WR at Olympic Stadium

Michael Mckillop knocked a staggering 15 seconds off the F37 1500m track World Record today at the London 2012 Test Events. Michael recorded a time of 3.59.54 and so becomes the first male to break a World Record at Olympic Park.

The Visa London Disability Athletics Challenge was held earlier today and attracted 150 athletes from 30 countres.

Next stop Turin for the European Athletics Championships for the Disabled this weekend

Our thanks to Nadine Lattmore for providing us with this information.