McDonagh involved in Hession bid for London Olympics

Ciaran McDonagh, who is the long-standing holder of the Irish record for the long jump, has been recruited by Galway athlete Paul Hession to help him in his preparations for the London Olympics. McDonagh, who is from near Athboy, is a qualified physical therapist, with a clinic based in Lucan. He will be working closely with Hession as the countdown to the Games begin in earnest. For the past few months McDonagh has been helping Hession, who now primarily trains out of Santry, in his daily training regime. Both Hession and McDonagh are currently in a training camp in Stellenboch, South Africa where they travelled on New Year's Eve for three weeks of intense training and preparation. Galway man Hession has a chance of making a significant impression at the London Olympics. He has achieved four Irish records in the 100m and 200m sprint events in his career to-date. He narrowly missed out on sealing a place in the 200m final at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2010 Hession was the first Irish man to qualify for the 200m final at the European Championships in Barcelona where he finished in sixth place. McDonagh is also no stranger to breaking the odd record or two. During his eventful career participating at national and international events the Athboy man broke his own Irish outdoor record in the long jump when he cleared 8.07m at a meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland in 2005. The following year McDonagh became the first Irish man to clear eight metres indoors at an invitational meeting in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA and in so doing he set a new national record. From his clinic in Lucan, McDonagh treats a wide range of injuries and now he's involved in helping Hession in his pursuit of Olympic glory. He has also worked on improving the fitness of other Irish athletes including David Gillick.