A year and a half ago, the promising handball career of Martina McMahon was under severe threat due to a grave back injury. The left-handed player from Limerick suffered the injury during a soccer match, when she twisted her back sharply while her feet were firmly planted on the ground. This unfortunate incident led to an L5 S1 spinal fusion, and medical advice suggested that her career might be over. Even though she resumed her professional journey, there was a noticeable decline in her performance. For someone of her standards, she was far from where she needed to be.
However, she never lost sight of her ambitions, and her relentless dedication finally bore fruit this Friday. McMahon won the Ladies Open Singles title at the World Wallball Championships hosted by her former institution, the University of Limerick. This achievement was extra special for her as it happened during GAA Handball’s centennial year and was witnessed by a massive crowd of 1,000 spectators.
Having secured a triumphant 21-10, 21-9 win over Roscommon’s Fiona Tully, McMahon cherished the win, fondly recalling the challenging times post her back surgery. “Post operation, it was a hard journey and there were rumours I might not play ever again,” the 29-year-old expressed.
According to McMahon, her mental battle was even more challenging than her physical pain during her recovery. She harboured a great sense of satisfaction and relief in the past few weeks, feeling that everything was finally falling into place. She now enjoys the best condition of her back post-surgery.
With powerful serves and effectively ending rallies, McMahon dominated Tully on her path to victory. The joyous win still seems surreal to her, but she sees it as a victory surpassing her clean sweep of all major tournaments in 2018. Enthusiastic about her comeback, she feels invigorated and looks forward to keeping up her fine form.
Concurrently, the men’s division witnessed the rise of a fresh champion. Nazir Marston, a 22-year-old emerging talent from New York, put on a stellar performance to outshine fellow American Timothy Gonzalez 21-17, 21-17 in the Men’s Open Singles final.
The semi-final success against Irish competitor Conor McElduff was the stage for Marston – exhibiting a remarkable demonstration of physical prowess. He concluded the match with a series of crucial victories in the second game. After his triumph, Marston issued a defiant message to his rivals.
“Anyone who dares, come forth. I am prepared and feeling extraordinarily well,” stated the native of Brooklyn.
“I believe this is the pinnacle of my performance this year. The year had been challenging, reaching a stage where I considered avoiding tournaments altogether. Therefore, I am utterly elated now.”