 We're going to talk more Olympics here on Highlands and joining us is the Athletics Ireland Olympic team manager, Theresa McDade. Theresa, good to see you. You're welcome on to Highlands once again. Thank you very much. It's kind of just all of us on very real erection as you just said that. Oh, that's me. Well, it's very real indeed from where it was this time last year because I was doing just looking back and a press release came out in February from Kieran O'Donnell saying that you were blessed and privileged to be in the position that you were as the team manager of Ireland. And it was less than 150 days back then to the Olympics. And, Theresa, you've had to wait a lot more than 150 days with the pandemic. Yeah, it has been a bit of a lesson from my perspective, of course. It's a massive and it still remains a privilege and an honour, but my God, really, you have to appreciate what it must have been like for athletes and for athletes to have kept going and to have continued to stay motivated and to stay trained and to train, particularly for technical events and without facilities and everything else. So whatever about me hanging on in there, I think, fair due to all the athletes. And by God, have they really come out and showed their metal and had some performances to get themselves on that team? Yeah, you've been hanging on, as you say. Were you worried at any stage that the games this year could be cancelled again? I think it always could have been. I think it was always a concern. But I think just that because there was so much involved that it was always likely to go ahead. And certainly, you know, from an organisational point of view. And I suppose I came on my role from as team manager was extended in January to include more logistics and that sort of thing. So from that point of view, I would have been a lot more involved earlier than normal. But and it was never never really an indication at any stage that we weren't going or it wasn't going ahead. I was always very clear that it was more than likely to go ahead than not. And I think it was more just maybe speculation in the media and the general public and particularly within Japan itself. Yeah, but there's still that concern about it, Trisha, because we see this week that they're suggesting now that there won't be the 10,000 allowed into the opening ceremony. That's only going to be VAPs only. But we sort of have to watch this race or watch the space rather as it goes along because some of these events could affect the spectator wise in particular. Oh, I'm without a doubt. And listen, let me tell you the protocol that we have to go through is unbelievably strict. We literally will be, you know, we're going into a holding camp, a training camp, if you like, in Fukuroi. And basically, we're very fortunate that we have a hotel that has grounds because literally we're going from the hotel to the bus to the track and back. And that'll be that'll be basically the length of it. So, you know, the measures in which that the Japanese community are being protected in there is massive. But I suppose this is something that we have to do and to partake in the games and tell our athletes to partake. So, you know, we just have to accept it and do it the best we can. And not to the best, we just have to do it. Absolutely. And, you know, and I think it'll be a very, very different Olympic games for a lot of people that have been there before. And I suppose for maybe some athletes for the first time, I suppose they don't know maybe any different. But I do think it's it will have a very different feel to it. And but I think too, I suppose I've traveled to a couple of different competitions this year and particularly the second last one that I was at was the World Relays. And to be fair, it was really, really well organized. And, you know, the protocols all worked and all we all came home safely and and COVID free. So I suppose that gives you some confidence. But without a doubt, it's a very different approach. Yeah. What about your role that you touched on a briefly there at the start about having to do a lot more sort of admin and logistics. So how has the Olympic team manager role evolved over the last couple of years? And what is your Judy over the last 12 months been and what what is it going to be now as we head on to the games, Theresa? Well, as I said, it has developed more this year because our operations are high performance operations person moved on in January. So I, you know, for the Tokyo games, I have taken on that kind of role. So I've been the key point of contact with on behalf of aesthetics and along with the high performance director Paul McNamara. So it has been a great introduction to a lot of people that I've often heard about with the the OFA. And I suppose really has been that for the for the first couple of months, it was very much a lot of meetings and decisions and being involved in planning. But it has certainly ramped up massively in the last two months. So my for someone that had had a very quiet COVID, it has just gone from one extreme to the other extreme. So a lot of admin, a lot of chasing up with athletes, a lot of just liaising with the Olympic Council in terms of the OFA in terms of just logistics relay and and even say for example of how I suppose is maybe a good example to give in relation to what is going to be like in Japan and the level of admins involved in this particular games is a few weeks ago there I had to prepare what was called a journey plan. And I basically had to identify what everyone that was on the team likely had the remotest chance of being on the team. And I basically had to plan out what they were going to be doing or by our from morning, you know, for the whole period of time that they would be there. So that's that's that's is the level of precision if you like and planning is involved. Yeah, I suppose one thing about being a manager is it's what's key to your role as well as having the right sort of team around you because you rely heavily on them. So you do Teresa and obviously when you're at a competition level at the Olympics have they're going to play key roles for you as well. Yeah, and we have a new the new you know the replacement from the hype for performance operations personally a guy called David Stevenson has come on board and in the last couple of weeks now he's come on board as well to help with a lot of the logistics and the admin as well too which is great. And I suppose really like a lot of Olympic games you have the trial run in the world championships the year before where you had the likes of the high performance director Paul McNamara and the head physio Paul Carracher and myself and his team manager. So I suppose we've had you know we've had a dry run through Doha in terms of how we will work together as a team. And then again it's you know we have you know we're part of suppose of the bigger family of the OFI in terms that we have you know they have a massive team around them as well too. So we're along with all the other sports you know are on to their umbrella and we're all I suppose one big community there. I know that you're very very proud of it and you said it's a huge honour you're the first lady to hold the position of Olympic team manager Trisa. I am and I'm smiling there because I have to correct you. I'm the first woman. Oshin is supposed to lady. Okay. Just to be politically correct. So yeah and to the best of my knowledge anyway I'm certainly the first woman to have held this role for athletics. So yeah and listen again particularly in the year that was in it maybe you know or last year you know it was very much a year for women in sport so it was massive for you know there's been so many examples of leadership in women and it was so I'm delighted to be heading that up and I think it was true it was the year before that I got European athletics. It gave me a lovely award too again too in terms of women in sports leadership so it's nice to be following all that and again I think I did a little bit of mentoring to the Dunneville Sports Partnership. I ran a really very successful program last year on encouraging women to be involved in sport and in sports management so I was asked to come along and have a chat there and sort of share some of my experiences so it's actually you know it's just great listening to sort of hopefully that you're setting that path and for those of people to follow. Yeah let's talk about the athletes then obviously finals and if the opportunity arises medals for Dunnegull for sorry Irish competitor Tracey. Yeah I think well first of all I suppose we've probably I think we've again I think we've are maybe our largest team ever or certainly you know a fair size team and we've let it out we have 24 athletes I think and again for a lot of people it will be the opportunity to have made the games first of all and again I can't help but reach out to the likes of Ann Marie McGlynn who missed the marathon which is 26 miles by four seconds like so you see how much it means for somebody not to have actually to have got there and what it means to actually even be on that team and that opportunity to actually be on that stage but in terms of that like again we're always looking for a systemic kind of result that we're looking for people that will perform to the best that they can you know that they will at least repeat what they've done to get there and possibly and hopefully to do better we'll be looking at key people to make semi-finalists the likes of Sarah Lavin and the hundred who I'm hurdle is the likes of Mark English and the 800 meters the likes of Sarah Healy and the 1500 meters are all pretty well ranked at the moment then in terms of our finalists then and you know as you talk the medal hopes you know and I'm sure a lot of people maybe have has been following the horizon program and Tom Barr spoke about it himself you know fourth in the last Olympics you know you have to say well that's he's obviously looking to do one better and Kira McGee and who we all know and love since she was a young girl has been a finalist a word finalist on top 10 in the World Championships in Doha so again you know you'd be you'd be certainly looking that she would be making that final again and as I say in ghost anything can happen in a final or four by four mixed really team as well to you know as you know they've they've done really well they went recently to world relays and gained themselves an automatic qualification by being in that final and which was top eight and then their time certainly that they ran to make that qualification would have ranked them in the top five if I'm not mistaken for say World Championships in Doha so yeah so it'll be you know they'll be busy and then hopefully you know what again what you're always looking for is you're looking for athletes to progress and come through the round and to sort of kind of take it step by step yep another thanks to Mark Angliss and the 800 the 800 has come on a lot over the last number of years in a particular time he'll probably have to run us best ever only to make a final if it does to come off for a moment and certainly you know I think the biggest thing there will be surviving the rounds and 800 is 800 meters is tough full stop and 800 meters is quite tough in a championship because you have three races within an Olympic games within four days so and I'm sure like Mark I'm sure we'll be taking that and maybe taking it one round at a time to get through to the semi and then the semi from to the final and you're absolutely right the 800 meters has moved on massively in the last couple of years and particularly coming out of lockdown and even I think we were all blown away by a lot of performances in the indoors and particularly 800 meters even you know guys were on the 143 indoors but but from Mark's point of view I suppose what's really encouraging is that he is really coming into form he's had several races that have a really good quality in the last couple of weeks and then to come and might have been the 11th hour for qualification but he certainly did it in style by running a new Irish record so you know from Mark's point of view you're hoping that he'll come in to you know that he'll come in to his own he's coming into that form at the right time and equally as again to kind of forget about Brenn Boyce like Brenn Boyce's performance on Doha certainly would also be indicating that you know if he repeats that performance in Doha and manages himself and particularly with the conditions around Doha then you know that will be an interesting place to watch as well. I spoke to Brenn a number of weeks ago before he headed out to to the Sarin Nevada in Spain for his training camp high altitude living in a cave all that sort of thing that that he does to get himself right he said he would be disappointed if he was outside outside the top eight is that top eight very much achievable for him? Well I think certainly based on Doha very much so and I'm very glad to hear that he was in the cave because maybe that's why I had to chase him for some bus paperwork then so that's a good excuse but no I think and I think too what was what was really stood out to me and Doha was for Brenn and for obviously his coach Rob was how they prepared and how they adapted and dealt with the conditions and took on all the advice and all the experience that was given and that certainly was a big contribution to his performance in Doha so I have no doubt that they will do the same again and and will come into the games very well prepared. Yeah we'll mention a young county trone girl Elish Flanagan speaking of the 11th hour she done enough to get a secure a ranking place and is heading to to the games as well but what an experience this is going to be for this young girl from Gorchin outside Oma. Yeah and it's it's very hard to talk about Elish without talking about Roisin or twin sister and they're they're two amazing young girls now they're fantastic and they have been around European they've to their success in European Cross was very evident last year which was great and and I think very from very early on you know even at 2019 it was Elish was very much earmarked to be making that kind of qualification within the steeple case and you're absolutely right around that even not even experience but you know for the for the kids that are in college in America in terms of the whole ranking and the points system they were probably a little disadvantaged so for her to come out and have ran the you know the races that she's had when she's come home and got the points and got the times that she needed to get there is is absolutely fantastic I so it's absolutely now and I'm absolutely delighted for yeah Trisa as team manager what are you most looking forward to? Coming home. I have not just for me well I suppose really from a from a team perspective that you know you're just you're you're you're so focused on everything and your plans so much ahead and you're almost looking to be ready for the next step and I suppose I am a self-confessed control freak so you know once I'm organized then I'm ready to deal with whatever you can deal with and that you can solve that problem as a goal so in case of you know what you're doing is to facilitate as much as you can to make sure that F is kind of that best performance or if you have to fight their corner like I've had to do in the past then that you'll do that something like so just really that athletes perform and are happy with their performance and can perform on that big stage and then there's certainly you know I would be I would be dishonest if I said that I wasn't concerned about athletes welfare and how you know that they all will stay safe and that they'll come home safe as well too and then for my own act to be honest with you I just don't think I think that will probably hit me sometime maybe in September or October that have actually been there I think when you're so involved in what you're doing and you're so focused on doing your job and doing it really well and you're right in that moment that you don't get a get an opportunity to sort of look back and see what you've got out of it for yourself if that makes sense well you get an opportunity to take in some of the rest of the games when you're there are you going to be very much focused on going from hotel to track and you might maybe be able to experience it if it was a more than what it was it was a non-covid environment no and I think that's I think that's the thing that that saddens me most actually and more so for athletes I think athletes are not going to get that multi-cultural multi-sport event that the Olympics is so you know I think I'm more sad for them than myself I suppose and and I suppose I also think that I really would hope that I'm too busy to be able to go and see other sports because it means that our own athletes are doing really really well and they're progressing and that you're going to the track and doing that every day with them but but again yeah especially because they're you know of the other Donegal connections you know you'd be loving to get out and sort of kind of cheering on the other Donegal interests that are there as well too but from that perspective I think because of the situation with COVID it is unlikely but as well as that I'm really hoping that just because I'll be too busy with the athletes are doing so well that I won't have time to go anywhere else yeah well listen I hope you're busy have a wonderful Olympics hopefully it's a successful one for Ireland and a very very safe one as well so take care tracing the best of luck with thanks so much and I'll see you