Running for fun

It takes many things to make a top class athlete, especially an Olympian, but talent and opportunity are two of the primary ingredients.

Paul Hession grew up in an environment in Athenry where hurling was the most obvious way of expressing sporting talent as the club conquered the country three times.

But when he discovered he could run faster than most, athletics became his prime aim and, thanks to the selfless work of so many in developing Athenry Athletic Club, the opportunity was there to explore his running prowess.

Two Olympians from the same club — Olive Loughnane goes in the final of the 20k walk tomorrow — is some achievement and bears testimony to the thousands of hours of voluntary work carried out by the members of the Athenry club over the years.

This is a local story made big. A year ago when the Athenry-based Coffey Construction announced their sponsorship of Paul Hession at a press reception just one reporter and photographer bothered to turn up.

Fast forward to the Bird's Nest in Beijing this week and there is the world's media scrambling to get the words from Ireland's fastest man, a guy who just runs for fun and who has put his medical degree on hold until he sees just how far he can go.

Strange times

The sunny south-east seems intent on supplying the GAA stories of a monsoon summer with Wexford footballers in the All-Ireland semi-final and Waterford hurlers back in the final for the first time in 45 years.