In the spectacular opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine River scheduled for July 26th, the Irish Team’s appearance may overshadow the fact that these young athletes have gone through rigorous training, while juggling academics and employment, to reach this very height of their sports career.
Among these exceptional individuals, Emily Hegarty, a remarkable Irish rower, will likely feel right at home. Hegarty gained recognition when she was a key member of the coxless four team at the Tokyo Games, which bagged Ireland’s inaugural female rowing medal. Since that victory, she has obtained a physiology degree from UCC, bounced back from a back injury, and secured a spot on the team for the Paris games.
Hegarty’s rowing journey began at the tender age of 11 when she joined the Skibbereen Rowing Club situated just across the river from her home. However, balancing a gruelling training regimen with her university timetable has never been straightforward.
Hegarty describes rowing training as ‘ruthless’. “Most of my days begin at the National Rowing Centre, which is a 20-minute drive from Cork City, at around 8am,” reveals the rower. A single morning session could last between two and a half to three hours, covering a distance of 24 to 32km. In addition to this, there are multiple gym and rowing sessions throughout the week. “Our morning schedule gradually transitions into racing preparations as summer progresses,” she added.
Looking back at her journey, Hegarty admits the first few years were challenging with missed lectures becoming a norm. However, with time she learned to balance the two. “The university was incredibly supportive,” she recalls. Hegarty was part of the Quercus Talented Students programme and was a full-time rower leading up to the 2021 Olympics. This demanded that she takes some time off from her studies. She mentions how the Department of Physiology at UCC benignly made adjustments for her Olympic preparations, stating, “Returning to full-time studies post-Tokyo came as a bit of a shock after a few years off.”
The jolt had serious physical effects, Hegarty reflected. Consequently, her vulnerability to ailments and injuries increased. Last racing season passed her by due to a back problem. Nonetheless, this hiatus granted her an opportunity to dedicate her full concentration to her studies. She resumed her rowing activities in October 2023 and ever since, she has been fully committed to it. Although the training sessions have been quite intense, she is making a conscious effort not to dwell on the end results. Following the challenging year she spent on the sidelines, she simply relishes being back in the boat.
She has anticipated enrolling in a masters programme in physiotherapy at King’s College London after the Olympic Games. When she eventually exits the boat, she is resolved to embark on a professional career.
Ben Johnson, a hockey player, is similarly focused on his life outside the arena of sports. After earning a degree in geography and geological sciences from UCD, he pursued a masters degree in sustainable development in business at TU Dublin. His aspiration is to transition into the consulting sector to aid businesses in reaching their net zero goals and formulating climate policies.
His career plans have been reinforced by the TU Dublin Athlete Support Programme, which alleviated his financial burden by waiving his fees. This gesture eased the stress of his parents and provided him with a dependable support system as a determined career-focused individual. Consequently, he was able to earn his masters degree due to this support structure.
His involvement with hockey stretches back to his childhood, when he joined a local club in Waterford when he was just seven years old. He presently plays for Three Rock Rovers in Dublin, a club he’s familiar with since his younger years on the field. Upon turning 18, he was called up to the Irish Under 21s and was later inducted into the senior men’s team in 2019, right before COVID hit.
Despite two significant knee surgeries within the last three years interrupting his hockey journey, he was able to return to the field. His first injury occurred in October 2019, due to a torn meniscus in his left knee, which was followed by another tear in his right knee in March 2022. He was awarded his first senior cap in June 2022 after his recovery and since then his calendar has been tightly packed.
“This year brought the challenge of balancing my Masters degree whilst participating in the senior men’s programme,” he outlines. “We participated in Olympic qualifiers back in January, had a 27-day stint in India playing Pro League matches, with subsequent time spent in London and Antwerp for more games. To manage such a demanding schedule, flexibility is imperative. My employers at Ethos Engineering, during my Masters, were very supportive, comprehending the demands of my hockey career,” he shared.
Johnson is currently laser-focused on the upcoming challenge in Paris. “Receiving the call up for the Olympic squad is an amazing feeling. Nevertheless, we’re not just going to soak up the atmosphere, our intention is to be a serious competitive force on the international stage.”
Kelly Murphy’s route to the women’s pursuit cycling team for Ireland was somewhat serendipitous, beginning while she pursued her Masters in neuroscience at Birmingham University.
“I purchased a bicycle due to the unreliable public transport, and then found myself competing against my own timings,” Murphy shares. “I continued cycling as I moved on to my PhD study at Aston University and was subsequently scouted by a cycling club.”
Murphy, originally from Birmingham, qualifies to represent Ireland due to her four Irish grandparents. Following her impressive performance at club level, she was noticed by the Irish cycling performance director and subsequently invited to join the Irish squad, based in Mallorca.
“I am currently 34 and have held a place on the Ireland squad for the last six years,” she adds.
In a story not unlike Cool Runnings, the team managed to qualify for the Paris Olympics despite Ireland’s lack of a velodrome or any observable history in the pursuit category.
“I had zero experience with velodromes or track bikes until my time in Mallorca,” states Murphy, “and no one informed me of the methods to stop. Any cessation in pedalling could result in a tumble down the bank, carrying a 40-degree incline.”
For Olympic qualification, it’s necessary for the country to rank in the world’s top ten, and Ireland narrowly made it, securing the ninth position.
Prime qualification necessitates a two-year journey, throughout which we’ve been dragging ourselves globally for a total of ten qualifiers,” Murphy relays.
Whilst acknowledging her meagre personal income, Murphy concludes resolutely, “I have enough to hold forth. We all have limited time on earth, and it was important for me to seize this opportunity.
After successfully completing a PhD study on the use of brain-imaging technology for an unbiased, objective diagnosis of dyslexia, she had intended to proceed into postdoctoral research. However, she chose to focus entirely on her passion for cycling over the past two years ahead of the Olympic games, with plans to revert back to neuroscience at a later stage.
She speaks about the difficulty in juggling professional commitments with the rigours of the Olympics. Now 34, she believes it’s her single opportunity and has therefore dedicated the past two years fully to this endeavour. Despite not being wealthy, with the financial backing from Sport Ireland, she’s managed to sustain herself. Her philosophy – one has to capitalise on life’s opportunities, for we won’t be alive forever.
Angela Quinlan, managing director at Key Patent Innovations (KPI) and one of Team Ireland’s five principal partners, commends these athletes. She believes their ability to balance elite sports performance with academic study or a career serves as an inspiration in their efforts to counterbalance daily life’s demands and professional pursuits.
In 2020, KPI, with its intentions of creating a superior IP monetisation platform, came into existence. According to Quinlan, they invest in patent monetisation opportunities ensuring companies receive a return on their R&D investments, thereby empowering them to fund further research.
Quinlan, a former researcher herself – who now protects research, acknowledges that athletes are often perceived as superstars, but personal interactions reveal the struggles they encounter. Factors including jet lag, unfamiliar surroundings and climate of the athlete village can all potentially impact their performance, nonetheless, their resilience is astounding.
She draws a parallel with KPI’s transactions, often negotiated at high levels post long travel durations, battling jet lag, and living out of a suitcase. Similar to their athletes, their operations require careful planning but also the ability to adapt when caught off guard by the unpredictable.