JACK WOOLLEY COULD feel the dreaded question lurking over him within a week of his Olympics campaign winding down.
“What now?”
After competing at an event of such enormity and such global interest, how does one just turn the page and return to normality?
This is Woolley’s second spin on the Olympics circuit after competing at Tokyo three years ago. That was a historic occasion as he became Ireland’s first taekwondo entrant at the Games.
But he describes that experience as a “blur”. All he remembers is the devastation he felt at losing his opening fight in the 58kg category of the men’s competition.
This time, he was one fight away from competing for a bronze medal when he lost his repechage bout to Adrián Vicente of Spain. LA 2028 is the one where he hopes to make his mark on the podium if he can keep his arc trending in that direction. But there’s a lot of time to fill in the interim.
For many athletes, the end of the Olympics marks the end of their season and the beginning of some downtime. Taekwondo athletes, however, are on the clock all year round. Breaks from the grind are rare, and when they do come, they can be unsettling rather than relaxing. That’s especially true for Woolley who craves activity. Aside from some cardio work, he hasn’t trained for the last two weeks.
“Today is the first time I’ve lifted my legs above my waist,” he says. He’ll get back on the mat in the next few weeks to resume training with a view to preparing for a Grand Prix final in China in December.
“You build your whole life for this event and then it’s like, ‘What now?’ You’re literally learning to do everything that people would call a normal life. Other people have more of a break because they have seasons in their sport. A lot of people go on holidays, but a holiday for me is to be at home.
“You’re so used to fueling for performance that you’re learning how to eat again. I’m in a weight-making sport so I’m always thinking that I need to get my weight down. It’s trying to have a takeaway without feeling guilty. You wouldn’t expect little things like that but you have to take the positives.”
Woolley took action during that period when he was feeling low. He reached out to other Team Ireland athletes, as well as his taekwondo opponents, to check in on their mental state and communicate with those who were also coming out of the Olympics bubble.
There was some comfort in knowing that others, whether they had a medal or not, could relate to his struggles.
“You can’t replicate this feeling for anyone else so it’s just someone who understands how I’m feeling.
“You reach out and have conversations. We have an amazing support team in Sport Ireland where we have access to psychologists and life skills that we’re better equipped with being able to cope with what is deemed the Olympic Blues.
“There’s been a couple of moments where you’d write out a paragraph of how you’re feeling and you both send it at the same time. And it’s basically a copy and paste. The feedback has been basically the same, no matter the result. Talking to an Olympic champion and they’re feeling the exact same. You don’t want to rush getting back into things but at the same time, you don’t know any better.”
Reflecting on his showing in Paris, Woolley feels both the encouragement of knowing a medal was within his reach, and also the disappointment of not having a medal in his hand. After losing his opening bout 2-0 to Azerbaijan’s Gashin Magomedov, Woolley got a second chance in the repechage but ultimately fell short against the bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships.
Having the crowd watching on was an added boost for him. The eerie Covid-enforced silence of the Tokyo Games reminded him of the movie, The Hunger Games. Paris was a far more vibrant experience where his family could attend having only watched their son compete a handful of times since he was 12.
After a few challenging days in the immediate aftermath of Paris, Woolley can only see the upsides of being a two-time Olympian now.
“To say I’ve done it twice, it’s no fluke. It’s something I’ve dreamt of as a kid. To put on a good performance in front of what felt like a home crowd, was just something special. When I sit down and reflect on it, I’m super proud.”
Allianz ambassador, Jack Woolley was speaking in his hometown of Tallaght on his return from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Will they ever stop god now i really hope we hammer them
If you read all his comments it’s actually very reasonable and balanced. We are not the best in the world. We are currently the top 4 but I’m convinced we can get much stronger when Andy and Co bring forward the next generation.
@Sam Bingham: if they ever do. Certainly not much sign of that on this tour.
@Brenda Collins: was never going to happen on a 2 match tour against top quality opposition.
God they’re an insecure bunch, if you have to keep saying you’re the best team in the world….
@Robert O’Connor: if you actually think about how these comments arise, you’ll realise it’s Irish journalists who keep asking this question. Essentially the same question of different people in the Boks coaching team, knowing that no matter what the answer is, or how it is phrased, they get to whip up outrage and generate clicks.
In the noise, there’s some element of truth. We peak for every game, every year, because our funding model depends on results. Other nations field B sides, prioritise club games, have less control of their test players, etc etc. So we’re more likely to have a (relatively) strong WR ranking between RWCs, and a (relatively) weak performance at RWCs.
@Richard Barnes: finally someone talking sense
@Richard Barnes: A typical Irish season is 5 6N games (all must win, after all it’s the only annual championship), 2-3 match series away to top SH opponents (no NH team messes with their selection for those) and 3 Autumn games against 2 top SH teams and 1 other. With the resurgence of Italy, it’s only 1-2 games a year with any scope for experiment. In a Lions year, Ireland will perforce experiment against Tier 2 sides. Given that Ireland is drawn from just 4 clubs, the equation gets even tougher as only a limited number of players get enough game time to prove themselves. That’s why an Emergent Ireland / Ireland A is so important to the ‘Ireland’ project.
@Richard Barnes: like who? South Africa haven’t made any unforced changes since 2017, that’s why their lineup on Saturday was their most experienced of all time.
France spent four years building a squad. Still got knocked out in the QF.
Schmidt gave out loads of caps to up-and-comers in 2016 and 17. Still ended up crashing in 2019. Trying to plan for the post-Sexton era with Madigan, Jackson and Carbery, yet Sexton was still standing in 2023.
If the young players are good enough, they’ll get in naturally. Play your best players and win the next game.
@Greg Doyle: I hear you! I guess France is the best example. Always rotating due to the insane Top 14 calendar. SA also rotate quite a bit, due to overseas player unavailability, and massive player base to pick from. Eng & Aus are the diluted versions of France and SA. Fiji & Samoa can barely field a team outside RWC, so are always much stronger than their rankings suggest. We are at the other extreme, along with NZ. Always rest players. Always prioritise test matches. Always pick best 23 possible. Always peak in the rankings between RWCs.
@Richard Barnes: Agreed, what you’re saying makes sense. I guess the point I’m stressing is that experimentation between WCs doesn’t always equal success. At the end of 2017, we were excited about Adam Byrne, Darren Sweetnam, Jacob Stockdale and Jordan Larmour getting their chances. Yet two World Cups later, they had all fallen away, and Earls was still there at 36! When lads like Doris and Keenan came through, they didn’t need loads of ‘A’ games, or tours to Georgia. They were just ready.
@Greg Doyle: P.S. Thinking about Scotland and Wales….They try to copy Ire/NZ, but have zero control over their overseas (mainly Top 14) players. We had a similar issue with JS when he was at Racing. Totally blew the IRFU model. How many more games might Scotland have won if they had Finn all tournament? Or Wales had Biggar? Instead, they play Top 14 club rugby on the rest weekends, like the French and Italians used to, and sometimes still do. That definitely increases our chances of winning 6Ns every year. Hence the higher WR ranking.
@Richard Barnes: Good point, do you think our 6N record flatters us then, or that a 6N title is ‘less valuable’ because of the existence of the WC? I couldn’t care less for the world rankings, or for trolls waiting in the long grass to throw ‘chokers’ or ‘bottlers’ at us after the WC based on those rankings. I’m just happy that we have a very respectable side that can go toe-to-toe with any team in the world, and can accept it when we lose tight, competitive games against world-class opposition. I don’t miss the days pre-2013 when we were held back by inconsistent and incompetent coaches.
@Greg Doyle: our messages crossed. 100% agree with you. I’m not a believer in experimenting with the Test side. Especially not versus top nations. That’s why we need an A side tour fixture, emerging tours etc. And a thriving URC, with talent spread across the provinces a little more than in recent years. All good. We’re getting there!!
@Richard Barnes: All good, yeah I had my own rants to air there! Enjoy the game. Hopefully we’ll be commenting on a win this time tomorrow!
@Greg Doyle: Ah, our messages crossed again (!). I don’t feel we’re winning “devalued” 6Ns. I’m super proud of what we’ve achieved. If other nations aren’t as well organized, that’s their fault, etc. That said, it offers a small explanation as to why we seem to stumble at RWCs. Japan, Argentina, Wales, etc, have knocked us out a few times. That seems crazy. Having that high WR ranking feels like a noose around our necks. And our “competitive advantage” (ie time together, rested players, etc) is taken away from us at RWC, or more precisely, the playing field is levelled out. So our boys don’t take the field feeling so confident, just as the stakes are at their highest. It’s what happened to NZ for 24 years, so we are certainly not alone!
@Richard Barnes: URC is not the top target. In order to stand a chance against the best of the French and English clubs in the ERC one of the provinces needs to be prioritised, particularly given the latest French TV deal. I understand people’s passion for their own regions but we are still developing a game. We need as much success as possible to generate interest. Leinster have come up just short in the ERC in recent years against superb French sides but success is relative. We’ve come a long way since 95.
They know Ireland are going to give them a hiding tomorrow!
IMO it’s a bit naive to experiment with young lads against SA as some people have suggested. Conversely teams like SA and NZ always pick their strongest teams against us.It is absurd to think Farrell wouldn’t reciprocate in like manner.
@Tom Reilly: I agree with you there Tom l,against a team of s.a’s quality and strength it’s definitely not a the time for young inexperienced players
Wtf stick? Keep the media away from that lad, defensive in possible defeat already. The no. 2 side in the world is going down again dammit !!.. :)
Covering all bases… like there style !
Another SA win tomorrow I’m afraid. Ireland have a few lads in squad who won’t be at next world cup and we should be using tours like this to get lads game time and build for future
@Paul Hogan: not this one. Playing the most experienced SA side in history, in SA requires the strongest, most experienced side available. Lots of this team will be available at the next RWC and they’ll be better for this experience (win or lose). After this series I’d be inclined to retire Cian and Peter and Connor. Bundee in a year’s time although Stu Mc and Jamie O can play 12. No disrespect to any of those 4, top quality players, given everything in green but time has caught up with them.