What makes the Olympics so special is that it only comes every 4 years. Anticipation builds up and the World gathers to watch the best athletes compete for medals.
The four-year cycle is also what makes the Olympics so cruel. You can be prepared for the whole time leading up to the Olympics, be ready to compete but one minor issue or illness can ruin four years of hard-work and dedication.
That's something Irish diver Ciara McGing found out the hard way unfortunately ahead of her 10m platform diving preliminary round.
The diver with family hailing from Mayo and Donegal was only able to accumulate a score of 188.50 from her five dives which saw her finish last out of the 29 competitors with the top 18 progressing.
5 August 2024; Ciara McGing of Team Ireland in action during the women's 10m platform preliminary round at the Aquatics Centre during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
It's always disappointing to see an athlete go out so early but speaking with RTÉ afterwards McGing revealed that she was very ill in the run-up to her competition, saying she was on IV drips just in the hope to recover in time to compete.
While it was obviously far from ideal for McGing she was keen to let her illness be an excuse for her performance.
I’m a bit upset and embarrassed about how I dived today because I know I am much better than that, but I’ve been very ill the last 48 hours, hooked up to a drip and everything so I’m very grateful for the doctors at Team Ireland that I even got here today because this time yesterday I wouldn’t have been here so I’m just proud.
Everyone at the village behind me got me here this morning. It's just the timing like I don't want to use it as an excuse but like it's obviously not an ideal situation.
Despite everything seemingly going against Ciara McGing she was always determined to compete even if it wasn't to her best capabilities.
I'd never withdraw. You would've had to fight me not to get on that 10 metre, so no I'm just very grateful it was yesterday and not this morning.
Ciara McGing said she never considered not diving today despite being "very ill" and needing a drip over the last 48 hours.
📱 Report https://t.co/IJZ4Z7xbOP#Paris2024 #olympics #olympicgames pic.twitter.com/rrDuuz7urL— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 5, 2024
It's fair to say that McGing's preparation couldn't have gone much worse and everyone knows she can perform better than she was capable of this time around. Hopefully she will get the opportunity in four years to prove that.
