Might I be right in assuming that we are all armchair Olympic Games experts at this point?
Since the games began, I have been glued to the telly each evening, particularly following the progress of local athletes, and embracing my inner gymnastics, surfing, running expertise.
Paris has provided the most beautiful backdrop for many of the races – imagine running, walking or cycling through those streets, taking part in the Olympic Games.
How often do we hear that we live in unprecedented times, and then a bad news story follows? In terms of the Olympics, we have never seen this level of success for Team Ireland or local athletes in Team GB and it is just incredible. Our children are watching these games thinking that this level of success is normal. Here’s hoping that it is the new normal.
Every competitor has a back story: who inspired them, the sacrifices made to train as hard as they do, the support network who have helped them get to this point.
Bangor swimmer Jack McMillan won gold with Team GB in the 4x200 relay, and commented afterwards that he hoped his parents were proudly looking down on him. A bitter-sweet moment for him.
After she won her gold medal for quadruple sculls, we learned that Hannah Scott had been inspired by those who went before her – previous Olympic medallists Alan Campbell and Richard and Peter Chambers. She saw them succeed at the highest level and wanted to emulate their success. She has done that and more.
There was a beautiful moment where Hannah was shown some footage of people in Coleraine town centre watching her race on a big screen and cheering her on. That’s what it is all about, lifting your locality with your success.
Until these games, Mary Peters was the only local female gold medallist, and look how she has been celebrated and revered since her win in the pentathlon, over 50 years ago, in 1972. Anyone who uses the Mary Peters track is reminded of this success each time they go there. I hope that Hannah has her eye on a good spot along the river Bann for the Hannah Scott boat club, and that a sculptor somewhere is carving her bronze statue.
Then there was Rhys McClenaghan. Given the tight margin of error in gymnastics, many were posting on socials that their anxiety levels were through the roof. The nerves while watching couldn’t be controlled, but Rhys’s nerves of absolute steel saw him give the performance of his life to secure gold. His mummy telling us that he had been preparing for this moment since he was eight was another special moment from this year’s Olympic Games.
On Sunday evening, RTÉ Sport reporter Joe Stack said what we were all thinking after Daniel Wiffen won bronze in the 1500m swimming final. For a split second, many of us were disappointed for Daniel that he didn’t win the gold, then we had to, as Joe said, ‘catch ourselves on’ and celebrate the fact that he is a double Olympic medal winner, and had set an Olympic record. That is now our level of expectation of our athletes.
In the past we would have been over the moon to see one medal coming home, never mind dare to expect athletes to win more in the closing days of the games.
When the news broke on Monday evening that Ciara Mageean had to withdraw because of injury, there was an audible gasp in our house. Every athlete’s nightmare. Our hearts broke for her.
Our children are watching these games thinking that this level of success is normal. Here’s hoping that it is the new normal
It’s all right to say that she has come through adversity before and she will be back – and she will – but it must be acknowledged that Ciara has had a particular focus on these Olympic Games. She doesn’t need a medal to be our hero – she won our hearts a long time ago and we send her every best wish to make a full recovery.
The parade of champions on Monday was immense. To see local athletes up there with the best was a great boost. Obviously this was the warm-up for the Skibbereen celebrations when Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy make it home to show their gold medals to the locals.
Let’s see what the last few days bring!
