Okoro Dares to Dream about Daegu

It has been a difficult two years for Marilyn Okoro. Hailed as one of Britain’s best middle distance runners and touted as heiress apparent to Dame Kelly Holmes’ 800 metres Olympic crown, she has been blighted by career threatening injury and seen friend Jenny Meadows surpass her on the domestic and international field.

As she heads towards the Aviva London Grand Prix following another promising performance in the UK Championships in Birmingham, Marilyn knows that the road to recuperation has been a long one, but still sets her sights on a place at the World Championships in Daegu.

“If there was ever a period to have a break, revamp and recondition it would have been then. Now, we really need it to be smooth sailing and building up especially for 2012. I’m just glad I’m a position to be fighting for contention for the worlds and to use that as a springboard for next year.”

As a deeply religious woman, Marilyn always maintained faith as her body overcame damage to both knee tendons at a time when her career was taking off.

It was a difficult period, with Okoro having clocked 1min 58.45secs in 2008, a career best time, leading many to compare her with double Olympic Champion Holmes.

“It was devastating. I’d gone from being in my best form ever to a massive drop down. You immediately stop doing what you’ve done everyday,” said Okoro, who opted against surgery after learning that many athletes have struggled to return to their best after going under the knife.

“On the flip side it was a massive learning curve. I had to go back to basics and learn to run again.

"I’ve learnt a lot about my body and myself and what type of athlete I am. I’m really drawing on those things, especially as you go back and do a lot of the things that you may have overlooked before, such as the little tedious exercises that really make a big difference at the other end.”

As Okoro continues her recovery, she looks towards those who have inspired her athletics career, namely her hero Dame Kelly Holmes. While comparisons may well be drawn between the two in terms of potential, it is Kelly’s story of overcoming serious injury to claim double gold in Athens which resonates most with Okoro.

“She epitomises what mental strength is all about. She probably spent more time injured to be honest and she always fought back and fought hard. That makes you think, especially when you are hurt and you are so far from where you need to be and when the doubts come. You think ‘can I do this?’ and then you think ‘it’s been done before,’ you think about her and her experiences.”

At a time when Holmes was dogged with injury, suffering stress fractures and experiencing calf and tendon problems, Okoro was beginning her own 800m career in earnest.

“I think when she won the two golds was when I really started to take athletics seriously and that’s when I started to do 800m.”

Although her interactions with Holmes have been limited, Okoro takes heart in the times she has spoken with her hero.

“She was someone I looked to and, when I first did the senior trials, I remember her having a word with me. She was someone I would watch and try and learn from. Any advice she gave me would be gold dust.”

For now though, the aim is getting back to her best in order to challenge for a place in Great Britain’s Daegu-bound squad. With the emergence of Jenny Meadows, as not only a domestic competitor, but also a European and World threat, Okoro holds hopes of battling with her compatriot.

“I remember when I was at my best we would have some really good battles. I want to get back to that and I want to be contending.

“I really think I’m in great shape, the sort of shape that should give me confidence. But now there are up-and-coming girls like I once was, so you can’t really chill out, you’ve got to fight for your place.”

Although the road to South Korea continues with the Aviva London Grand Prix, it is merely another obstacle with the London Olympics now clearly on the horizon. After experiencing the grandeur of an Olympic Games four years ago in Beijing, competing in the capital would be a dream for the London girl.

“I went to Beijing and saw how the Chinese were just buzzing. I know the kind of atmosphere we have at our Aviva Grands Prix and to think at an Olympics that’s going to be tenfold.

“It’s going to be fantastic and do a lot not just for athletics but for sport in general in the UK. Just being a London girl means it will be that more special. These opportunities don’t come around very often.”

Marilyn Okoro is an ambassador for McCain, Principal Partner of UK Athletics. For more information, please visit www.mccaintrackandfield.co.uk

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