A vulnerable champion: Fintan McCarthy on living up to life as an Olympic hero

Six grams of gold, infinite emotions. Ireland’s Olympic hero Fintan McCarthy shares how Olympic glory stirs unexpected insecurities with Eoghan Cormican

SMILES BETTER: Fintan Mc Carthy: “I felt like I wasn't living up to the hype of an Olympic champion." Pic: Oscar J. Barroso/Getty Images)

LONG after we had finished lunch, Fintan McCarthy fired over a short message to ask that I keep mention of his crying to a minimum.

Now just so nobody misunderstands, there were no actual tears during the almost two-hour lunch. What lunch did consist of was a soup bowl threatening to overflow with introspection, openness, and raw honesty.