Fermanagh rowers delight at selection for Paris Olympics

Fermanagh rowers Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney know it all too well.

Their road to Olympic selection to row in Paris for Ireland has had its fair share of ups and downs in the last year since the pair qualified the Men's Pair boat for Ireland last year.

Injury and illness crept into their preparation but the two rowers never wilted. 

They stood strong in the face of adversity and will have become so much stronger having overcome the trials and tribulations of recent months which culminated in them being selected to be Fermanagh's latest Olympians.

That selection took place last week when  Ross and Nathan proved they were the fastest Men's Pair for Ireland for the Olympics in Paris this summer.

They came through a trial against two other Irish rowing hopefuls and all the setbacks and stress were worth it.

"It has been a relief really," said Ross who added: "Going back into training with the peace of mind of it all was really just a breeze.

The trialling over last weekend saw the pair come out on top and their official selection was confirmed but leading up to that point there was a lot of uncertainty.

"You start the year thinking you have eight or nine months of solid training ahead of us," said Ross. 

"At that point, the rose-coloured glasses are on and surely we'll not get injured or sick.

"But it is inevitable and unfortunately for between us we had it a bit more than anyone would have liked and it sort of put the pressure on."

"Definitely in a better mood after the last two months. It's good to have it done and dusted," said Nathan.

"I suppose it was unexpected but everybody has setbacks."

Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney celebrate their bronze medal at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

The pair look back at the period after World Cup I as a tough time.

Nathan had been struggling with a back injury and it was decided he would step away to recover. It left Ross in a different pairing to compete at World Cup II.

"From World Cup I onwards it was tough. There was a lot of uncertainty and we felt we weren’t performing to the standard we wanted and we know [we can]," said Ross.

Nathan agreed adding: "I think it was after World Cup I in April. I knew I wasn’t 100 per cent recovered from a back niggle that I picked up in the previous camp leading up to the event.

"Looking back we shouldn’t have raced it but I do believe everything happens for a reason.

"It was after that it was decided to take a complete step back and modify my training going into the next block of training after that. That was the beginning of a brutal training process, physiologically and psychologically. There was sickness and other sorts of injuries.

"It was unexpected but we dealt with them pretty well and are out the other side."

A stationary bike was Nathan's closest companion for four weeks as Ross continued rowing.

"For about four weeks I basically went into a state of isolation and really pushed the limits as much as I could.

"Ross was able to row and was grinding away behind the scenes."

It all led up to the trialling races.

"When we both came together we both exploded and went from there," Nathan continued.

"We both came out of trials in record form in the pair and that’s one of the reasons our belief is so strongly positioned for that gold medal come the Olympics.

"That’s what we are aiming for. We are aiming for nothing less. That way we know we will be at our absolute best."

Ross added: "When the pressure was on we showed up and we performed like we have done countless times before.

"We were able to train and compete under that stress. Now it’s a different type of pressure on us. It’s a lot freer and easier to get back to training with that one goal in mind. There's nothing underlying, nothing threatening your position at the Olympics.

"Now it's just getting the most out of ourselves when the Olympics come and we perform and perform well."

Ross also echoed Nathan's sentiments about going for gold.

"We'd be letting ourselves down if we weren’t thinking of that. Even at our worst back at World Cup I we weren’t a million miles off Great Britain and the Swiss who would be fast.

"World Cup II, myself and John got into the A final. We didn’t have a great race and weren’t far off.

"We know the speed is there. We know that the standard within the team is strong and we know we have medal-contending teams.

"We know in training based what we need to be hitting for the possibility of a gold medal being a real thing."

The pair are keen to get into Olympic preparation.

With the official announcement today (Thursday) of their selection, next week will see them fly to Italy for a final training camp before the trip to Paris.

"It’s a funny one," said Nathan, "We were definitely relieved. And the contentmentof  knowing our names officially stamped on paper.

"The other side when we were told when the trial was over and we were nominated, my initial reaction was the only thing that would make the last four months setbacks - especially the last eight weeks - worth it would be a gold medal.

"One side of it we are so thankful the selection process is over and we made it through the line together. And the other side was when are we back training in the pair?

Ross added: "You can't let a medal or the outcome dictate what happens. We stick to our process, we stick to what we did last year. We nail what we know, we work on what we know we need to work on.

"We can't control anyone on the day around us. If they are faster on the day that’s that. As long as we go out and we perform and do the best race possible we know we haven’t let ourselves down.

"We know if we do everything right it could be a very special Olympics."