'HALFWAY through the race I was like...this is the last 1km of the Olympic cycle,' remembers Emily Hegarty.
Skibbereen Rowing Club's first ever female Olympic medallist is speaking as part of a new mini docuseries produced about Team Ireland's brilliant performances in Tokyo 2020.
Blood, Sweat and Tears, the first in the series, is now available to watch, and goes behind the scenes to tell the story of Team Ireland's Olympic bronze in the women's four category.
This film documents the journey of the four athletes from lockdown through to sealing their Olympic qualification a mere two months prior to the Games, and to the historic Olympic final.
It features interviews with each of the team members as they look back on what was, and still is, an incredible and emotional achievement.
'I'd say our family were in bits at home watching it,' Hegarty recalls. 'I still don't think we realise and appreciate how we made people feel at the time.'
Two more films are set to be released in the series, which has been designed as a reminder of the work coaches and athletes put in with less than 500 days before Paris 2024.
