Lost voice and special moments: Banbridge rower Philip Doyle enjoys Olympic Games medal success with those closest to him
Banbridge rower Philip Doyle may have woken up on Friday morning with his voice on the cusp of breaking point, but it was just another reminder of a special evening of Olympic Games medal celebrations with those closest to him.
The 31-year-old became the latest Northern Irish athlete to secure medal glory as he picked up heavyweight double sculls bronze alongside partner Daire Lynch, following up success from Daniel Wiffen, Jack McMillan and Hannah Scott, while Belfast’s Rebecca Shorten won silver with Team GB about 30 minutes after Doyle in Paris.
It has been a period of sacrifice for the former Banbridge Academy student and qualified doctor, who started rowing during his time studying medicine at Queen’s University, with everything dedicated to securing Olympic glory after finishing 10th in Tokyo alongside Ronan Byrne.
Doyle took the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere in Paris alongside family and friends, but was up early to cheer on Enniskillen duo Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney, who finished sixth in the men’s pair final, while Team Ireland celebrated lightweight double sculls gold thanks to Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy.
"The voice is nearly gone but everything else is feeling good!" Doyle told RTE Sport. “I popped into meet the families of myself and Daire and got to spend some time with them and enjoy it.
"We did a few songs and chatted to people who supported us over the last few months. It was a relaxed evening and then into bed early to see the lads off this morning.
"It has been 10 weeks (since we’ve seen family and friends). We're centralised in Cork and then go to Italy for four or five weeks before every major competition...to minimise illness we agreed to stay at arms length from family and friends and we're staying outside the village.
"Logistics made it difficult as well so it was lovely to spend some time...everyone was asking me if I wanted to go for a drink or dance, but I was happy sitting with friends and family who came to see me and let them hold the medal."
The reality of picking up an Olympic hasn’t fully sank in just yet for Doyle, who said: "When I get back to the living room and sit on the sofa I'll let it sink in, but I wanted to be here to support and enjoy the atmosphere in the next few days."