“It was in the blood, you could say.”
Michael McKillop has been staring down challenges for as long as he can remember.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of just two, the Co. Antrim athlete never allowed the disorder define him. Both his parents were athletics mad and he literally followed them down that path.
He first came to Irish sporting attention at the age of 16 when he won 800-metres gold at the world championships. Two years later and his was an 800m Paralympics champion. He doubled up on gold after stunning performances at London 2012.
This month, he hoists a nation’s Paralympics hopes, in Rio, and places them upon his shoulders. 800 and 1,500 metres are his domain [in the T37 classification] and he will not countenance second best.
McKillop puts a lot of his success down to his father, and coach, Paddy McKillop as well as a veritable squad of coaches, physios and backers.
“I have to trust a lot of other people,” he says. “Everything comes together for one person and that’s me.”
In the coming days, Ireland will tune in for the latest step of McKillop’s incredible journey. Despite the gold medals and world championship successes, the 26-year-old stays remarkably grounded.
“I’m just Michael from north Belfast.”
As the official energy partner to Paralympics Ireland, Flogas are delighted to work alongside brand ambassadors Michael McKillop, Katie-George Dunlevy, Eve McCrystal, Patrick O’Leary and Niamh McCarthy.
Flogas are backing our heroes with positive energy and encourage fans to send messages using the hashtag #PositiveEnergy
