Proud of all the athletes

Following the performance of our boxers at the Olympic Games, particularly Katie Taylor winning gold, we are all proud of them for their achievements.

However, I bear equal pride for our other athletes, who worked as hard, but who sadly could not achieve a medal in London.

We have sprinters and hurdlers, Paul Hession and Derval O’Rourke; sailors, like Annalise Murphy; high jumpers, like Deirdre Ryan; even judo competitors, like Lisa Kearney. These people have been training, like Taylor, and while we can be immensely proud of her achievements, why can’t we show equal pride and respect for these athletes? I’m sure Hession, Ryan, and Kearney got out of bed every morning like the boxers, and put their bodies through muscle-burning pain to do one thing, with passion and pride in their hearts — represent this country.