Gearoid Towey challenges sporting taboo of mental health

Gearoid Towey is one of those men always looking for the next challenge, and his latest may be the biggest of them all — to transform our attitudes towards the mental health of leading sportsmen and women.

One might forgive Cork-born Towey for resting on his laurels after a phenomenal career in rowing, as an Olympian and former world champion. After retiring from competitive rowing after the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he was looking for other challenges.

He had already tried and failed to cross the Atlantic Ocean with Ciaran Lewis in a 7m rowing boat, and then embarked on a new career as an actor while taking part in extreme adventure races.