Derval O’Rourke, an eminent retired athlete based in Cork – praised for her remarkable triumphs in sprint hurdles at European championships and for bagging a World Indoor title – has been affiliated with the Olympics three times in her career. After retiring in 2014, her current role is a commentator for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on RTÉ.
For O’Rourke, her agreeableness is not pronounced. She’s perpetually inquisitive, rarely going along with things without questioning them. Her middle name, Anne, is just about satisfactory to her.
Her favourite destinations in Ireland remain the picturesque Crosshaven and Baltimore in Cork; she can’t settle on one. Asked to describe herself, she opts for ‘thorough’, ’empathetic’, and ‘considerate’, after consulting her husband.
O’Rourke rarely experiences anger. Her emotional breadth includes frustration and sadness, but seldom escalates to raw anger. If given a chance, she would love to regain her athletic-abs from her racing days.
Her fondest memory from her early youth is the thrill of running on the green outside her home, racing against her peers. Being the youngest in her family and among her cousins reformed her personality by making her feel pampered and cared for.
When asked what she believes will happen after death, she expresses uncertainty. Though not religious, she dabbles in spirituality and wishes not to find the answer anytime soon. O’Rourke recalls her happiest times to be on an Irish beach with her children and friends, indulging in local sandwiches and sharing hearty laughs.
In a cinematic retelling of her life, Victoria Smurfit would be her choice to portray her character. There are regrets with regard to her career, specifically about having given inordinate importance to the opinions of others regarding her performance. Her sole wish would be to have cared a bit less.
Interestingly, under high-pressure situations, she maintains calm and collected demeanor, never letting her emotions get the best of her.