RTÉ’S SIX-PART Road to Rio documentary continued tonight, following boxer Michael Conlan, swimmer Fiona Doyle and racewalker Robert Heffernan.
Yet again, it delivered and our excitement for the Olympics is well and truly starting to kick in.
Here are a few of the standout moments and quotes that grabbed our attention.
1) “People say you have to find something you love, and if it’s your job, you’ll never feel like you’re working a day in your life — and that’s me”
2) Robert Heffernan is a real family man
“It’s not just for you. It’s for everybody who’s connected with you and involved with you.”
3) His wife Marian is his coach and also a retired international sprinter
4) Fiona Doyle has an identical twin sister
Eimear is an Irish junior record holder but was forced to end her swimming career due to injury. They’re very close, with Fiona saying “one of the big things when I’m swimming is it’s for her – when I stand up on the podium she’s beside me or when I stand up on the blocks, she’s there.”
5) “Calgary is like the Texas of Canada. It’s very cowboy country-ish”
6) Michael Conlan is extremely confident in his ability
“”I’m floating around that ring like a butterfly. There’s nothing gonna stop me. I’m flying.”
7) And likes to look good
“All I want to do tomorrow is go out and lie in the sun and get burnt for coming home so I’ve a bit of a tan and I don’t look like a ghost on TV.”
8) Rob Heffernan has just 4% body fat
“Alright for a 36 year old,” as he said himself. Over the course of a couple of months of training, he lost more weight than the weight of his baby daughter Regan.
9) ”I’m probably obsessed, I’m thinking about walking and training and recovery 24/7, it’s always on my mind”
10) The 50km racewalk is a ridiculously tough event
It’s eight kilometres further than a marathon, completed in just over three-and-a-half hours while walking — think of it like that.
11) Fiona Doyle has a pretty tough job balancing swimming and study
An evening in the life? ”Just finished two swim workouts totaling 430 lengths of the pool and a two-hour weight session, and now I’m about to start two to three hours of study.”
12) “I’m going to stay at the top and be the best that there is”
Michael Conlan’s drive is astounding.
“What I’ve done so far in my career is only so far in my career, I have a lot more to go. That’s behind me now and I have to push on to bigger and better things and that’s the Olympic gold in Rio and many, many things after.”
13) Heffernan is a true sportsman
Despite pulling out of his race in Zurich, he still congratulated the winner at the end.
14) Fiona Doyle’s family are extremely supportive
Her mam and granny even waved back at the TV when she was introduced before her race.
15) ”I felt like feckin’ Niall Horan in One Direction”
Heffernan reacts to the crowds at his homecoming in Cork after winning in Moscow.
All non-INPHO images via RTE.
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