The majority of the 16-strong Irish athletics team in Beijing, where they were accredited,and will stay overnight in their Olympic Village appartments before transfering for a ten-day training camp in Matsue, Japan.
It is the same training venue Athletics Ireland used as a base prior to last year’s World Championships in Osaka.
And while it will be familiar territory for O’Keeffe, the chances of her matching or bettering last year’s sixth place finish in Beijing later this month seem very slim.
Commenting on the injury that is threatening her participation in the Games, she revealed: ‘It’s coming along quite slowly. It’s a little bit more serious than I initially thought.
‘I thought it might just be a bit of inflammation, but it’s actually a ruptured cartilage in my kneecap.
‘I suppose it’s a battle for time at this stage. I’ve just been a bit unfortunate that it’s happened now (right before the Olympics), but that’s the way it goes.’
O’Keeffe threw an excellent 72.75 metres two weeks ago when winning her eighth Irish title but her left knee swelled in the subsequent days, prompting her to withdraw from last Friday’s Morton Memorial meeting.
O’Keeffe, who admits that speed is her big asset in the hammer cage, gave an indication of the type of training on the cards in Matsue.
‘Obviously to keep my strength work up is a bit difficult with the knee for a lot of the lifts.
‘So I’ll try to alter them a bit so I don’t bend as low and try and maintain them to the best of my ability,’ said the 27-year-old, who gave up her job as a theatre nurse to train full-time for the Olympics.
‘I’ll try to get back on my technique and get my rhythm, do some technical analysis, even just visualising good throws even if I can’t physically do it!
‘Hopefully by the 18th, I have a little bit of time to play with and I can get a bit more back to myself.’
18 August is the all important date for O’Keeffe, when qualification for the hammer final takes place at 9.10am (local time) in the National Stadium.