Amanda Grory competing in the 800-meter T54 finals at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships on Nov. 10, 2019 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Paralympic gold medalist Amanda McGrory admitted to being nervous heading into the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships given the injuries that prevented her from getting consistent training until late this summer.
Now with her second medal of the world championships, who needs training?
McGrory took third place Monday in the 1,500-meter T54 classification in 3:34.32, adding to the silver medal she earned Saturday in the 800. McGrory was dealing with pain from scar tissue in her hip following the 2018 Chicago Marathon that sidelined her until May, and it wasn’t until July and August that she was able to begin speed and track training. With trials for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 drawing ever closer, McGrory had to be pleased with where she is.
“My goal coming back was not to be too hard on myself, not to set too many expectations, just to go out and race and see what I could do,” McGrory said. “Because the goal is to make the team for Tokyo and to race in Tokyo. So I have to say, coming back, two medals so far I am not going to complain about that at all, especially knowing that I have more to give.”
McGrory was really happy with her performance Monday but admitted her strength isn’t where she wanted it to be. She took a more conservative approach in the 1,500, hanging back in the first couple laps before attacking. But the pack thinned out into two lines, and McGrory found herself boxed in on the inside lane. Fortunately, McGrory had a USA and college teammate back there to help.
“My (University of) Illinois teammate Chelsea (McClammer) saw me dropping back and actually opened up a gap to let me out into lane three, and that’s the only reason I was able to attack,” McGrory said.
McGrory was then able to mount a sustained attack that landed her on the podium. She finished just .02 seconds behind Australia’s Madison de Rozario while China’s Lihong Zou took the gold medal in 3:34.09.
Besides the silver medal she won on Saturday, McGrory also has a silver medal from the 2017 world championships. McGrory is a seven-time Paralympic medalist including a gold medal from Beijing in 2008 in the 5,000-meter. Making it back to a fourth Paralympic Games remains the ultimate goal.
“I know I’ve got more strength to build, more speed, so I’m feeling very confident,” McGrory said.
Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.