Paris 2024Team Ireland

Sharon Madigan: ‘Keeping things simple and doing things well is the key to success for elite athletes’

Behind Team Ireland: Science lead’s role encompasses co-ordinating nutrition, physiology, strength and conditioning, and performance analysis

Dr Sharon Madigan: 'There are a huge variety of things which contribute to a fit performing athlete.' Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Wed Aug 07 2024 - 06:00

What is your role within the support team, and what are your primary responsibilities?

My role as science lead has been to co-ordinate and support the science practitioners who support athletes and the National Governing Bodies. We have had practitioners support athletes in qualification, pre games, remote support from Ireland into the village and within the village and satellite villages.

How does your role contribute to the overall performance and wellbeing of the athletes?

Within the science team we have nutrition, physiology, strength and conditioning, and performance analysis. All those disciplines are really key in keeping athletes healthy leading into and during the games. There are a huge variety of things which contribute to a fit performing athlete. For example, in terms of heat preparation our athletes have been training in the environmental chamber. Performance analysis would be working with athletes and coaches on how their opposition plays, fights or performs. In terms of nutrition, for example with boxing are the athletes making weight, or are they at a manageable weight where they’re able to cut for competition. S&C at this stage wouldn’t play a massive part at the games, but has over the last number of months and years.

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How did you first become involved in this field, and what inspired you to pursue this career?

I’m a dietitian by trade, so dietetics and nutrition has always been an area I’ve been interested in. I played a lot of sport growing up, I played basketball at a national league level, I played a variety of sports at university as well so I was always interested in sport. I could see then that nutrition played a significant element in supporting athletes and their sporting endeavours. I was doing a PHD in Jordanstown back when the institute in the north was open, and I happened to be there at the right time. Through that I got involved in boxing specifically, and that then lead to me joining the institute in Dublin around 14 years ago.

What’s your favourite Olympic memory?

I actually remember getting up to watch the gold and silver fights in boxing in 1992, they’re probably my earliest memories in terms of Irish sport. I just remember it being such an amazing day, the fact we won gold and silver on the same day, that’s definitely a memory that has stuck with me. Sonia O’Sullivan in Sydney also sticks out to me, that was another great day for Irish sport.

What’s something most people probably wouldn’t realise about elite athletes?

They’re the same as everybody else, that’s the key thing to remember. The best athletes tend to be able to stay focused and consistent, I’d say a lot of people would be surprised with how boring some of the stuff they do in preparation is. Keeping things simple and doing things well is the key to success for elite athletes.

What sort of logistical planning is involved in your role?

We have the main hub in Paris, but we also have hubs elsewhere. There’s been a lot of planning ahead with the sports competing outside of Paris. Laura O’Mahony has been working with the rowing team, making sure the nutrition and physiology side of things is covered during the games. Golf, cycling and equestrian are all in and around Versailles. When I was out in Paris a couple of weeks before the games we managed to tidy up a lot of the logistical stuff and preparation was also done with the nutrition team around menu planning, heat preparation, making sure athletes are able to get all the liquids they need in the heat. Myself and Ciara-Synnott O Connor, the lead physiologist, were out in Paris setting up our recovery space for rehab, that’s up and running at the moment and working really well.

If you hadn’t become a scientist, what would you have done?

When I was younger I always wanted to be a vet. But I suppose with the sports science side of things I’ve been very lucky in what I’ve done, it’s a very varied discipline with lots of exciting opportunities.

Sport Ireland Institute is the official performance support delivery partner to the Olympic Federation of Ireland