Katie was a knockout success, but Dad gets the gong for me

I had to think long and hard about selecting my sportsperson of the year and while Rory McIlroy and Katie Taylor would be top of the list for most people, it was the latter’s gold medal performance at the Olympics that inspired my choice.

Watching that final in a packed bar at the Round Tower Hotel in Ardmore, where Katie was already a sporting hero to the many kids watching in awe, got me thinking about my sporting heroes who influenced my career? Growing up I was made very aware of the genius of iconic Cork figures such as Christy Ring and Jack Lynch by someone who was fortunate enough to boast that he had played with them.

That person was a bit of a sporting icon to me given that I would regularly read press cuttings of his achievements as a Gaelic footballer and a boxer of note. I would often hold his Irish international singlet and wonder would I ever be fortunate to wear the green of Ireland one day. This guy was, after all, a Munster senior and Irish junior heavyweight champion but I could never see myself emulating those feats.