Glengormley’s golden boy praised for ‘outstanding achievement’

The 22-year-old Glengormley man, who trains at the Sports Institute at UUJ, won the T37 1500 metre title on Monday night - his second gold medal at London 2012 after his record-breaking performance in the T37 800 metres final on Saturday.

He was cheered to victory by the 80,000 strong crowd in the Olympic Stadium, as well as thousands of viewers at home, and gave a wave to all his supporters as he crossed the finish line.

Alderman Robinson said: “Michael’s tremendous performance has made everyone proud of him. The Paralympics are truly inspiring as all of the athletes have had to overcome many obstacles and athletes like Michael have shown great strength and determination in their ability to compete and succeed in sport at a world level.

“We are sure he will go on to achieve many more great victories, but in the meantime Newtownabbey Borough Council couldn’t be prouder and we are looking at plans to recognise his outstanding achievement.”

Head of Sports Services at the University of Ulster, Dr Nigel Dobson, added: “We are extremely proud of Michael McKillop at the University of Ulster. He is very popular here at the Jordanstown campus where he has trained for many years and he previously worked in the Sports Centre. It is tremendous to see all his hard work paying off at the Paralympics and I would say there is still plenty more to come from Michael.”