GIVEN how her last few weeks have gone, the temptation for Kelly McGrory is to continue her hot streak.
The Tir Chonaill AC woman has overcome a couple of years of injury hell to get back on track again.
Last month, McGrory helped Ireland to set a new national record for the mixed 4x400m relay at the European Games in Minsk.
On Sunday, McGrory followed that up by claiming silver in the women’s 400m hurdles at the National Senior Championship finals – and did it with a new Donegal record of 60.44 seconds.
“I’m just delighted to be down here competing and performing is a plus on top of that,” McGrory said.
“Obviously I’m delighted to set a new Donegal record as well.
“My main aim was to run a PB. My PB was from 2016, so I was thinking in my head that if I didn’t beat it here that I’d never get rid of it.”
There were times when even competing again seemed a distant hope. In 2016, McGrory was the Irish 400m hurdles champion, but has been rocked by a series of issues since.
Kelly McGrory speaks to Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub Sports Editor Chris McNulty
Now, though, she feels close to being back to her best after shaving 0.15 seconds off Arlene Crossan’s 2016 mark.
McGrory said: “Silver means so much. That was a stacked race with so many talented girls. I didn’t expect to come out with a silver, but it’s an added bonus then to get a PB as well.
“It’s brilliant to be back. In the warm-up, I felt a wee bit in my hamstring and I was a little bit nervous.
I don’t know if it was in my head or not. It was completely at the back of my mind by the time I got to the last couple of hurdles. I was just focussed on hitting the hurdles with my strong leg and making it home strong.”
McGrory is unsure as to her next move, but the competitive urge is burning again.
She said: “Even if I wrote it off here as my last competition, I’d be happy out with my season.
“I’ll consider my options now…It’s always good to strike when the iron is hot so I might try and get the time down a wee bit further.”
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