A FORMER Bury Grammar student credits her faith in God for ending her injury hardship and wait for an Olympics debut.

Thirty-one year-old Abigail Irozuro is preparing to make her Games bow in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics long jump.

And she will go into competition with a goodwill message from her former school.

A message on the Bury Grammar School Facebook account says: "Good luck Abigail Irozuru. BGS will be supporting you and watching on Sunday at 9.50am."

Her dream is nine years in the making after missing out in 2012, despite making the standard, and being left out of Rio 2016 due to a ruptured achilles.

Abigail retired after her injury before making the decision to return in 2019 with her faith helping her to reach the games in Japan.

She said: "I do go to church and believe in God and genuinely had a conversation with God and I felt compelled to come back.

"I didn't want to look back with regrets. I felt so tugged back into it but in my head I was like 'there's no way I can put myself through this, it's torture.'

"I said 'God, please keep me healthy and allow this time round to be better'. I remind myself of that promise God made me, or I made with God.

"In 2016 when I ruptured my achilles, that was the second Olympic cycle I'd missed out on. I thought my dream was done but coming back a couple of years later, knowing it would be a fight, I just had to keep the faith.

"There are moments when I've had my doubts, my capability and, particularly with the extra year, you question your age and ability to recover but I've been so thankful for the team I've had."

A 6.69m jump at the Manchester trials last month booked her Olympics spot behind Jazmine Sawyers and they will be joined by Lorraine Ugen when the competition starts tomorrow.

"When I first qualified in Manchester it was a relief but now I'm just excited and it does mean so much because it has been such a long, arduous, stressful journey," the 2019 British champion said.

"Every athlete has a story and a journey but it does make it that bit more precious.

"I want to enjoy every moment as much as I can, despite the Covid chaos because that is important right now."