Cathal Dennehy: How the Joyces got the recipe for champions right

When Oisín Joyce started out, his dad had no real background in athletics, but Padraic spent significant time in the years since learning from those who did.

The Joyce family in Lima (L to R): Padraic, Oisín, Pauline and Aisling.

This is the story of an athlete, a family, a club and a vision. It began 11 years ago, when Padraic Joyce was asked by his wife, Pauline, if he’d come down to the club she’d helped get off the ground in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, and coach a bit of javelin.

It’s a story that reached an apex last Thursday in Lima, Peru, when the couple stood trackside and watched their son, Oisín, win a global medal. This was the 20th edition of the World U-20 Championships, the sport’s great exposition of future champions, and never in its 38-year history had an Irish thrower reached the podium.