The Road to Rio aired the first of six episodes on RTE 2 last weekend and the second will appear this coming Wednesday.
It follows the story of eleven athletes as they battle to win a place on team Ireland for this year’s Olympics. As with many things in life the most memorable are the ones of loss and so it was in episode one where Jack Woolley, the Taekwondo hopeful from Jobstown came up just short and will now have to reset his sights on Tokyo 2020.
The series is yet to complete filming but so far it has taken Producer Drew Banerjee and Cameraman and Director Darragh Bambrick on an 18 country and 118,000 kilometre odyssey around the world.
What was the best time you had filming?
Beijing in China where we were filming with Robert Heffernan as he defended his World title. The vibrancy, colour and energy of the city meant that we couldn’t fail to capture engaging material.
The fact we were there with Rob and the Irish walking team for their last event of the season meant that we also had a great night out once the competition was over.
And where was the toughest?
Grenchen in Switzerland. The series has taken us to Switzerland three times, and each time we enjoy it less and it gets more expensive.
This trip was to follow Martyn Irvine at what was to prove to be his final event, the 2015 European Championships. Martyn had just found out he wouldn’t be able to qualify for the Olympics.
We form a bond with all the athletes we film with, but this was particularly strong with Martyn and his wife Grace. To see a man who has achieved so much, have to deal with this crushing disappointment was difficult to film.
What was the best event to be present at?
The 2014 World Sailing Championships in Santander was a real eye opener. The sailing authorities made sure that the regatta was as open as possible to the public and media.
The lack of overbearing and officious stewards meant that you could go about your work unhindered. It definitely made a huge difference to the viewing public as they could get close to the action and the athletes.
The worst accommodation you stayed in?
Paris AirBnB for the 2015 World Cycling Championships.
We booked a flat with two rooms, but when we got there one of the bedrooms was off limits so we ended up having to both sleep on a couch.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the flat was on the 8th floor and the lift didn’t work.
… and the best?
Doha in Qatar for the 2015 World Boxing Championships.
The accredited hotel had all you could eat, a great gym and easy access to the stadium and the city.
Oh and Michael Conlan also became the first Irish male World Champion at the event. When our athletes did well, it made everything seem better.
Who would you say was the toughest trainer amongst the group?
Swimmer Fiona Doyle. She did 400 lengths and a two hour hour strength session every day we were with her in Canada, while she was also completing her degree.
What was the worst thing about all the travelling?
Without doubt it is the car hire companies.
Read more about the Road to Rio series, on each Wednesday night for the next five weeks.
