Shane Lowry targeting Olympic medal after opening ceremony honour

Shane Lowry and Sarah Lavin were handed the flagbearer honour a number of weeks ago but sworn to secrecy.

HONOUR: Golfer Shane Lowry and 100m hurdler Sarah Lavin with the Irish flag after they were revealed as the Team Ireland flagbearers Paris Olympic Games. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Shane Lowry has declared that he would “give anything to win a medal” after being named as flagbearer for Team Ireland along with sprinter Sarah Lavin for Friday night’s Olympic opening ceremony along the Seine in the French capital.

The pair were handed the honour a number of weeks ago but sworn to secrecy with the official announcement made on Friday morning at the Irish Cultural Centre around the corner from the Sorbonne.

Both spoke about how their first memories of the Games centred around the sight of Sonia OSullivan burning up the track. The days of one athlete carrying almost all the expectation are long gone and Lowry is a live prospect in the men’s golf.

“My first Olympic memory is sitting in my classroom in my school and the TV getting wheeled in to watch Sonia O'Sullivan, and that's how I grew up. Obviously you go on over the years then and Katie sticks out well in people's heads.

“Us as a team here, we're hoping to be that person for the kids at home watching it. I'd give anything to win a medal, that's what I'm here for and it would just be an unbelievable thing to achieve.” 

Ireland has 133 athletes in Paris for these Games but only 18-20 are expected to board the boat that takes them along the 6km river route later this evening. They will be sharing their transport with the Iraqi team.

Neither Lowry nor Lavin seemed to know much in the way of what to expect. Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are supposedly involved in the ceremony at some point and the whole thing will stretch for something over four hours.

Many an athlete has in the past spoken of the opening celebration as a distraction but neither of Ireland’s flagbearers are viewing it that way. If it is a distraction then it is very much one to be embraced.

The Irish team will wear suits designed by Irish designer Laura Weber in the ceremony that takes place later today on the River Seine in Paris. Pictured with Sarah and Shane is designer Laura Weber. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Sarah Lavin has been going diligently about her prep under the watchful eye of coach Noelle Morrissey. Friday is a rest day and a day to enjoy the unique experience at an event that will be watched by countless millions of people around the world.

For Lowry, who carried a Team Ireland Olympic bag into Royal Troon with him last week where he was somewhat disappointed not to win The Open for a second time, the looming Games could not be coming at a better time.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction. As a golfer and a sportsperson I live day to day. Last week was the Open, it nearly went according to plan. Straight after that it was in my head to go and redeem myself in a couple of weeks in Paris.

“But obviously I have today as well. It’s a really nice distraction to have. Don’t get me wrong, the first few days of this week were hard, I was a bit sour, and you’re waking up in the morning wondering what you could have done differently last weekend.

”But the excitement that's around something like this, to be honest I'm looking forward to getting down to the Village now and seeing the excitement around the whole place and yeah, living it up for the next 24 hours. It will be cool.” 

As honours go, this one is pretty cool.

Lavin cried when she was asked to do it and Lowry is sure that there will be pictures of him hoisting the tricolour on the walls of the family home back in Offaly within weeks, if not even earlier.

They will be wearing outfits designed by Laura Weber, a native of Dublin now based in New York, and with specially embroidered county crests stitched on. Lowry’s love of Offaly is legendary and Lavin is equally thrilled at representing her county.

“To be representing Limerick on the greatest sporting stage in the world is amazing.”