Swimming against the tide

THE SUNLIGHT is shining through on a Saturday morning in the pristine National Aquatic Centre on the outskirts of Dublin’s sprawling northside, and 50 of the best teenage swimmers in the country and their coaches are either staring at the poolside tiles or looking up at the 60-year-old rotund man with the small eyes, flushed face and visible limp.

He probes again. “What was the objective of the workout this morning? What were you trying to improve?”

One of the kids pipes up. “Everything!”