“The security guards had to take us off the pitch in the end – we wanted to take in every minute. There’s a massive ringing noise when a big cheer goes in. It’s just a huge spectacle.”
Tipperary hurler Conor Stakelum describes what it felt like to win the All-Ireland senior hurling title this summer in front of a roaring crowd at Croke Park. “It’s the kind of thing you dream of.”
What happens when you wake up from this dream the next day, and the day after that?
Your ears may still be humming, but the cheering has stopped and it’s back to the grind. “I remember that first day back to work after the All-Ireland thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s all over, and I just want to go back to that day’,” says Stakelum.
In the world of elite sports, the transition from thundering stadiums and euphoric wins to ordinary life can be a huge psychological comedown. Athletes can struggle with anxiety and aimlessness when the rigid structure of training gives way to vast expanses of unplanned time. They can experience a crisis of identity outside of sport and a lack of motivation when nothing feels as satisfying as competing.
Dr Kate Kirby, who has participated in five Olympics cycles as
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