MY HEART went out to Ciarán Ó Lionáird after his 1,500m race at the Olympic games last Friday evening.
 It is not a pleasant experience to perform well below your expectations on such a public stage.
He gave a very honest interview to RTE after the race during which he said he just wanted to get on a plane out of London and go home to his family and friends.
 If all of us were honest with ourselves, our own reactions would not greatly differ in a similar situation. I, for one, admit to have been in that position both as a player or a coach on several occasions. Eventually, however, the disappointment subsides and you get back in the saddle and plug away again. I’m sure that is what will happen with Ciarán too.
I am not an expert on athletics. But what I do know is in athletics, as in all sports, success comes from being both physically and mentally prepared. It is no good have the best-prepared body in the world if you are not sure how to use it when the pressure of competition takes effect.
An element of doubt still exists in some quarters about the value of mental preparation. Yet, I have never met, or read about, a champion who as well as having tremendous skill also have the strongest belief in his own ability to deal with whatever happens during a match or a competition. That belief is the very essence of mental preparation.
In 1932 for instance, Dr Pat O’Callaghan was defending his Olympic hammer-throw title. He arrived at the stadium in Los Angeles with several pairs of shoes designed to cope with a grass or clay throwing circle. Nobody told him that the circle would have a cinder surface. He slipped and skated through the qualifying stages; scraping into the final with his third and last throw.
There was a short delay before the final began and Dr Pat used this to his advantage. He raided the maintenance stores and borrowed a hacksaw with which he cut down the spikes of his shoes to a more comfortable level. The result wasn’t ideal, but it was a hell of a lot better than what he had been wearing. He threw over 176ft (53.92m) with his second throw in the final and retained his crown.
These were the actions of a man who not only was physically strong, but also mentally tough enough to think his way through his problems — even in the height of battle. If you want to get a further idea of Dr Pat’s confidence in his own ability listen to the interview he gave Jimmy Magee on the RTE Radio archive “80th anniversary of Dr Pat’s second gold” on www.rte.ie/archives.
I attended the Cork City Sports on July 17 last. It was an excellent evenings entertainment that benefited greatly from moving away from the Saturday afternoon slot of the last 10 years or so. There were several Olympians there. Among them were Ciarán Ó Lionáird and Robert Heffernan.
The contrast between the two athletes was amazing. Robert Heffernan practically glided on a magic carpet around the track in the 3,000m walk, while Ciarán Ó Lionáird laboured through the mile event in much the same way he did last Friday evening’s Olympic race.
 There could be a thousand reasons for that, maybe it was tactical run, or an error, or he had a cold or, he was just using it for sharpness as he did have an injury- ridden spring. Regardless of the reason, he did not give off the aura of a happy man.
 Heffernan on the other hand, loved every moment of the event. He literally walked away with his race, and later posed for photographs with everyone who asked. Here was a man who was enjoying his Olympic preparation.
We got to see the  result on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Ciarán fulfilled his prophecy and so did Robert. Looking at the post-event interviews with Ó Lionáird and
 Heffernan it was easy to see who was the more content with their performance.
Speaking of the post-event interviews, they have been very refreshing and insightful for the viewer.
I particularly liked Derval O’Rourke’s interview after her first round 100m hurdles heat on Monday morning.
“I felt I needed to get out fast and I did… but I know I have a lot more” Derval said.
Here again you have an athlete getting a tough draw but not panicking and going on to get what she wanted from the race — qualification for the semi-finals.
She was squeezed out of automatic qualification when the Russian dipped ahead of her. Was she upset about that?
“I won’t let it happen again” was her reply. Clearly the words of someone who had no intention of leaving London without what she came for.
It must be acknowledged  both  O’Rourke and  Heffernan have considerably more experience of major championships than  Ó Lionáird.
He did go to last year’s World Athletics Championship in Korea and finished 10th. Korea however, is so far away that it could be on a different planet, while London is  next door; and you know all your neighbours will be watching.
It brings a different kind of pressure and not everyone is equipped with the wherewithal to find a hacksaw that can cut away all the problems of competitive pressure.
As an Irish Olympian,  Ó Lionáird already has a special place in Irish Sport, he must now take last week’s experience, extract the lessons from it and turn them into success.
This is the real challenge that awaits him.
As a 24-year-old “All American” athlete he still has the time and opportunity to turn last Friday’s problems into the chance of a lifetime.
 All he has to do is to apply his mind to the talent and experience he already has.