5am starts and skipping her own 18th birthday: how Emily Hegarty prepared for her Olympic heroics

After a rocky start, Hegarty and her teammates secured a bronze, kickstarting a feelgood factor which has surrounded Team Ireland ever since

Emily Hegarty on the bank of the River Ilen in Skibbereen: With rowing, you really get out what you put in. It’s not about luck, it’s about putting in the work.' Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Upbeat dance music pumped from the stereo as Cork Olympian Emily Hegarty prepared for her history-making race in Tokyo.

Ms Hegarty and her Olympic teammates Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe and Fiona Murtagh had compiled the seven-hour playlist with tracks like Scissor Sisters ‘Let’s have a kiki’ "to keep things enjoyable and lighthearted" before the race.