Michael McKillop

Michael Gerard McKillop MBE (born 27 January 1990 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland) is an Irish middle distance runner. He competes in the T37 disability sport classification, as he has a mild form of cerebral palsy.[2]

For the Zimbabwean cricketer, see Michael McKillop (cricketer).
Michael McKillop
Personal information
Born (1990-01-27) 27 January 1990
Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Sport
SportRunning
Disability classT37, T38
Event(s)800 metres, 1500 metres
College teamSt Malachy's College, Belfast
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m: 1:54.40
1500 m: 3:51.74[1]
Medal record
Representing  Ireland
Men's paralympic athletics
Summer Paralympics
2008 Beijing 800 m T37
2012 London 800 m T37
2012 London 1500 m T37
2016 Rio de Janeiro 1500 m T37
IPC Athletics World Championships
2006 Assen 800 m T37
2011 Christchurch 800 m T37
2015 Doha 800 m T38
2015 Doha 1,500 m T37
IPC Athletics European Championships
2014 Swansea 800 m T37
2014 Swansea 1500 m T38

He won the 800m title at the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships, clocking just over 2:02. and he represented Ireland at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning a gold medal at the T37 800 m clipping almost three seconds off his previous mark as he strode to an emphatic win in 1:59.41. His time was a Paralympic record. McKillop won the 800 m title at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in world-record time of 1:58.90, he also set a 1500 m world record but was not awarded a medal because of the lack of entries.[3][4] in the London 2012 Paralympics, McKillop won gold for the men's 800 meter t37 with a time of 1:57.22;[5] this was a world record. He won the 1500m T37 race in the 2012 London Paralympics. The medal was later presented to him by his mother, Catherine McKillop, an ambassador of Procter & Gamble. He defended his 1500m T37 title at the 2016 Rio Paralympics securing the gold medal once again.

He is coached by his father Paddy, who was awarded Northern Ireland Sports Coach of the Year. McKillop has a personal best in his preferred 800 metres of 1:57.22. [6][7][8] In 2012, McKillop was awarded the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award.[9]

McKillop was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to disability awareness and athletics in Northern Ireland.[10]

Personal life

McKillop works as a fitness instructor and motivational speaker.[11] He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island with the Class of 1993.

See also

References
  1. http://www.european-athletics.org/athletes/group=m/athlete=154410-mckillop-michael/index.html
  2. Haughey, John (2008-09-03). "McKillop mission". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  3. "Michael McKillop wins gold medal at Paralympic Worlds". BBC News. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  4. O'Riordan, Tom (2011-01-29). "Athletics: McKillop breaks 800m world record to claim gold". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  5. "McKillop storms to second gold". Irish Times. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  6. "McKillop claims Irish gold at Paralympic Games". RTÉ Sport. 2008-09-23. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  7. "McKillop claims gold for Ireland". BBC News. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  8. Collins, Siasy; Katarzyna Wilczynska (2008-09-10). "Ireland's Michael McKillop, smashes the 800m World Record and wins Gold at the Paralympics". europeanirish.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  9. Duncan Mackay (9 September 2012), Pistorius overlooked for London 2012 fair play award as Ireland's McKillop chosen, Inside the Games, archived from the original on 12 September 2012
  10. "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N20.
  11. https://www.paralympic.org/news/five-facts-about-ireland-s-michael-mckillop


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