‘I guess if you can see it, you can believe it’

For any athlete, competing at the Olympic Games is one of the pinnacles of their career.

It is only the elite that get the chance to pull on that vest and represent their country and it is usually the culmination of years of hard work and commitment in their dedicated sport.

In 2012, Enniskillen man Gavin Noble became one of a small band of Fermanagh people to take part in the games when he competed for Ireland in London in the Triathlon, finishing 23rd in a field of 55.

The abiding memory of that day though for Gavin was not the actual race itself but seeing familiar faces as he crossed the line.

“I was happiest that crossing the line my parents were there in the stand, I remember more of the time seeing my family post race perhaps than the race itself. That’s my Olympic memory in many ways. Especially for my Dad,” stated Gavin.

To qualify for London, Noble needed to be placed in the top 55 in the world and this was achieved over a two year period of collecting ranking points at races. It meant plenty of competing in that time.

“It’s a long process and in many ways you have to keep a consistency throughout the years and the season followed the sun so it was often difficult to find a period to rest and build as there were a lot of races,” he explained.

Indeed, he was not helped by a knee injury which hampered his preparations, limiting the running he was able to do.

“The two year process did take its toll on me somewhat and I had a knee injury which needed operating on to fix - so that last six months of training was a little compromised and I was often in a lot of pain, especially evident when running.

“But I was able to amend training to focus on swimming and cycling; I had to leave out a lot of longer aerobic runs and only keep in intensity and that wasn’t ideal.”

With qualification secured though he could focus on getting ready for London.

“Going into the Games was exciting as I could focus on it. I had three months with no pressure to race and as it was only in London I could prepare at home for it and be surrounded by a good support team.

“I was in a really good place mentally having qualified, it was a weight off my shoulders, so I knew I could be in good shape come games time.”

Noble moved to Limerick to put the final touches to his preparation.

“I lived in the altitude house at the university. It was ideal.

“My good friend Bryan Keane would come down and stay with me for blocks of work, sometimes a couple of cyclists would come stay, sometimes a couple of triathletes who swam well, the Triathlon Ireland coaches might check in.

“Ger Hartman was nearby for physio support and I had support too from a physiologist Caroline McManus and strength coach Tom Comyns. It was great. I loved it there.”

Then it was on to London and the games. The key for many athletes competing in the Olympics is to treat it as just another race, after all you are coming up against the people you compete against throughout the season, and that’s what the Fermanagh man set out to do.

However, he admits to getting ‘goosebumps’ during his warm up as he seen so many Irish supporters in the crowd, including family and friends.

“I always tried to treat it as another race. Sometimes people forget or don’t realise that each person in the Olympics competes a lot on their own circuit, weekly sometimes. We know everyone, their strengths and weaknesses.

“It is just that the stage is slightly bigger and there are more in the audience.

“I was normal that morning.

“I went through the same routine I had been doing for years but when I was warming up I rode around the Mall and I did get goose bumps and even a bit emotional.

“I could see some many Irish people in the crowd. My family, parents and friends. I loved that they got to experience it all with me.

“I took it all in and was even more determined not to let anyone down in a sense,” said Noble.

The Enniskillen man had his gameplan well rehearsed before getting to the start line. He made no secret that the key for him was to make a good start.

“My target was to make the front group out of the swim, work to keep the lead group as small as possible and then run to survive. I wasn’t looking at a particular placing, I wasn’t a medal prospect, but I was good enough to compete and make a difference in the race to give myself the best possible placing,” he said.

And that’s more or less how it worked out on the day. He exited the water in Hyde Park following the 1500 metre in 15th place, 28 seconds off the lead.

“We knew you had to be able to swim the first 300m in around 3 minutes 10 seconds to get around the first buoy in good position and to escape the fighting.

“55 guys trying aiming for one point, there’s always a scrap and if you have to get involved you lose time, energy and position by stalling.

“A good swim sets you up and puts you in control of your efforts.”

Indeed, it got even better in the 40 kilometre cycle section as Gavin hit the front for a short spell much to the delight of the supporters on the course and those watching on television.

Going into the 10 kilometre run Gavin was placed eleventh and within touching distance of the leaders but the lack of training on the road due to the injury did have an affect although he dug in to secure a 23rd place finish.

“It was fine in the end in terms of position, but I was really happy with my performance.

“I think anything less than 25th and it would have taken away from the performance. I did my best on the day.”

In terms of the overall experience of being an athlete at the Olympic Games, it was everything that Gavin had hoped it would be.

“It’s a bit of a rollercoaster as it’s so hard to get to - there are a mix of emotions between qualifying then through to post race.

“The games themselves, and this was London, it was everything I had dreamed of, exactly how I wished they would be.

“From getting my kit, to the village, the pre games camp and watching the other sports events,” he said.

And he got the chance to soak up some of the big moments from the Games.

“I was really fortunate post race to get to see some amazing athletes perform; from watching Katie Taylor win gold, to the athletics stadium every night to Lebron James and Kobe Bryant win gold.

“Some of the parties were good too!”

Noble is proud to have represented Fermanagh and Ireland at an Olympics and with his role with the Olympic Federation of Ireland he is hopeful to witness up close more young athletes fulfil their dream.

Gavin is a Performance/Team Manager and Deputy Chef de Mission for Tokyo Games, his role including being one of the main contact people for the overall team at the games, supporting all the planning that goes into getting the team there and that run operations during games time.

He also sits on the Sports Science and Medical Commission and the Athlete Commission and play a lead role in the teams kit sponsorship.

“I’m very proud, of course, and then too how it helped shaped future careers.

“When I was growing up in Enniskillen, my club had loads of Olympic history, I used to stand at the top of the stairs in the Forum every evening and read the names on the wall.

“I guess if you can see it you can believe it.

“So lets wait to see who’s next, maybe in Paris 2024 I’ll even be there to witness it first hand with my role with the OFI,” he concluded.

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