A month since he won an Olympic bronze medal with rowing partner Daire Lynch at the men’s double sculls in Paris, Philip Doyle has a few weeks off from training and he’s at home in Banbridge, Co Down, getting some rest and helping his mother around the house.
“When I come home, I kind of step away from the whole sporting world for the next few weeks. And I get a list of chores from my mother,” the 32-year-old says. “Things she’s broken around the house, and jobs to be done. Yesterday was power-washing the whole fence out the back. And then today will be painting the fence. I’m not from a rowing town, I picked it up in college. So when I come home, I really step away from that whole rowing environment and just do something completely different for a few weeks.”
He is, as yet, undecided as to whether he will aim for the LA Olympics. For one who has shown such remarkable dedication to his sport, there’s also a constant thread of being pulled towards his career as a medic.
“It’s in the back of my mind, but rowing is... and I don’t mind if you print this, rowing is miserable. The lifestyle is miserable. Being a full-time athlete is miserable when you’re on no money. Being Chris Boon or being Sebastian Vettel or being Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m sure it’s phenomenal. Even the athletics in Ireland, I’m sure is amazing.
There was one year I was on the bottom level of funding. It’s €18,000. I had to go back to work because I was running out. I was really struggling to make ends meet. Some of the young guys on the team still are. You know, your rent could be €500-€600 a month and you’re only on €1,000-€1,500 a month. And you’re feeding a family of four when you’re feeding yourself as a rower — you’re on 7,000 calories a day, and you can’t eat crap. So it’s a challenge.
“My mother offered to step in and help, but I shouldn’t be a 29-year-old with my hand out to my mother when I’m a fully qualified doctor. So I forced the rowing federation to allow me to go back to work, and I worked in Cork for a while, and that was a great help. But then your training suffers. It’s all about balance."
: Bryan Keane/INPHO
“When I come home, I kind of step away from the whole sporting world for the next few weeks. And I get a list of chores from my mother,” the 32-year-old says. “Things she’s broken around the house, and jobs to be done. Yesterday was power-washing the whole fence out the back. And then today will be painting the fence. I’m not from a rowing town, I picked it up in college. So when I come home, I really step away from that whole rowing environment and just do something completely different for a few weeks.”
He is, as yet, undecided as to whether he will aim for the LA Olympics. For one who has shown such remarkable dedication to his sport, there’s also a constant thread of being pulled towards his career as a medic.
“It’s in the back of my mind, but rowing is... and I don’t mind if you print this, rowing is miserable. The lifestyle is miserable. Being a full-time athlete is miserable when you’re on no money. Being Chris Boon or being Sebastian Vettel or being Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m sure it’s phenomenal. Even the athletics in Ireland, I’m sure is amazing.
There was one year I was on the bottom level of funding. It’s €18,000. I had to go back to work because I was running out. I was really struggling to make ends meet. Some of the young guys on the team still are. You know, your rent could be €500-€600 a month and you’re only on €1,000-€1,500 a month. And you’re feeding a family of four when you’re feeding yourself as a rower — you’re on 7,000 calories a day, and you can’t eat crap. So it’s a challenge.
“My mother offered to step in and help, but I shouldn’t be a 29-year-old with my hand out to my mother when I’m a fully qualified doctor. So I forced the rowing federation to allow me to go back to work, and I worked in Cork for a while, and that was a great help. But then your training suffers. It’s all about balance."
: Bryan Keane/INPHO
