BBC Sport Northern Ireland’s John Haughey
This was not the way Michael McKillop would have wanted to finish his Paralympic odyssey but the Glengormley man owes his country nothing after the most glittering of careers.
Like all outstanding performers, McKillop’s greatness may only properly register now that he has departed the Paralympics stage.
After being edged out in the 1500m at his first World Championships in the Netherlands in 2006, McKillop regrouped to win the 800m title a couple of days later.
It began an unbeaten record in Paralympic competition which only ended in 2019 when his injury-ravaged body had to settle for fourth in the metric mile at the World Championships in Dubai.
It’s easy to forget that McKillop was an athlete good enough to win the Irish Under-20 Cross Country title in 2009 as he overcame the best young able-bodied distance runners to earn the honour of leading his country’s team at that year’s European Cross Country Championships in Dublin.
After his glorious double success at London 2012, McKillop and Kenyan Para-athlete Mary Nakhumicha Zakayo were the two recipients of special awards from the International Paralympic Committee for “best exemplifying the spirit of the Games”.
The remainder of his career was affected by injury, although he battled to win a fourth Paralympics gold in Rio after the opportunity of doubling up had been taken away by the removal of the 800m from the programme.
After securing an 800m and 1500m double at the 2017 World Championships in London, a career-threatening groin injury saw McKillop having to entirely sit out the 2018 campaign.
By that stage, McKillop’s enforced change of category was already making his task considerably more difficult.
But being the warrior he is, he was back on the line at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai as his 13-year unbeaten record came to an end before he bravely battled on to Tokyo.
