What is your role within the support team, and what are your primary responsibilities?
I’m the head of capability and expertise with the Sport Ireland Institute. I am also a volunteer athletics coach – in Paris I’ll be coaching Sharlene Mawdsley (400m, 4x4 Mixed, 4x4 Womens).
How does your role contribute to the overall performance and wellbeing of the athletes?
My philosophy has always been that our primary responsibility is to provide a safe, happy, healthy, challenging environment for athletes to train in. Our success can’t be just defined by medals, but [also] how we treat people and help them reach their goals. The “how” you did it matters just as much as the “what you did”.
How did you become involved in this field, and what inspired you to pursue this career?
I’m a former Olympic athlete myself [Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000] and a sports scientist by trade. I got my first coaching qualification at 17 and even before I finished as a competitive athlete I had started my coaching journey. I believe I can contribute positively to other athletes.
What’s your favourite Olympic memory?
The 1984 games, when Carl Lewis won four golds and John Treacy won silver. It made me fall in love with sport and the idea of being an Olympian. Watching the marathon and seeing John and the late Jerry Kiernan at the front with Jimmy Magee’s commentary made me realise how special the Games were.
What are you most looking forward to at the Olympics?
Seeing Sharlene step on the track and get to finally be an Olympian. Seeing how well she and her team-mates can do is very exciting. That is what I am most looking forward to.
How do you handle high-pressure situations, especially during critical moments of the competition?
To be honest, I love those situations. They mean it matters; it means you are where you wanted to be. The main thing is to just do what you have trained to do – the process is key. Worrying about the outcome isn’t going to help you get better at anything. Once you realise that feeling – that pressure is a privilege – you don’t think of it as a problem, it’s just fuel.
What strategies do you use to help athletes recover between events?
The biggest ones are around food and sleep. We have also developed our training programme to help support athletes doing multiple rounds. At the Europeans Sharlene ran five 400m races in six days, which you probably would only do in a month normally. She has become good at resetting after each race, parking the performance and preparing for the next one.
How do you support athletes who might be struggling with their performance?
Sometimes the reasons are obvious, sometimes it needs a lot more investigation and a lot more people, but there’s always an answer. My role is to commit to the athlete to find the best answers possible and then work with them to find solutions. No point finding a problem if you can’t find a solution.
Gary Ryan is head of capability and expertise with Sport Ireland Institute. Sport Ireland Institute is the official performance support delivery partner to the Olympic Federation of Ireland. Sharlene Mawdsley will runs in the 400m mixed relay on Friday evening
