MCILROY James < Back  
Sport Athletics
CGA Northern Ireland   
Gender Men
Born 30 Dec 1976 in Larne, NIR
Height1.78 m
Weight 71 kg
Human Interest
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Ballymena & Antrim / Larne: Northern Ireland
General Interest
Hobbies Golf, athletics and football. (NOC, 24 Mar 2000)
Injuries In 2000 he had to withdraw through illness from Britain's European Cup team and in 2003 he had to withdraw from World Indoors due to hamstring and calf injury. (BritishAthletics.info, 14 July 2005)
Other sports He trialled for English football club Darlington in 1996. (NOC, 21 Jan 2000)
Famous relatives His grandfather, Sydney McIlroy, was a football player in the 1930s. (NOC, 21 Jan 2000)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? He was discovered by former coach Sean Kyle in May 1997.
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete;Sales
Languages English
General Interest
Other information RETIREMENT & COMEBACK
He retired from the sport in April 2008, sighting a lack of funding. He returned to competition in early 2010. "I've got the love back for the sport," he said in February 2010. "I ran every day over the last two years and I also ran the New York Marathon and when I was over there, it dawned on me that I still have something left to give in the sport." (BBC, 2 Feb 2010)

FROM IRELAND TO GREAT BRITAIN
In 1999 he switched his international allegiance from Ireland to Britain. (bbc.co.uk, 19 Jun 2002)