The last word

Cong’s quiet man has last word

‘If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same…’

Martin Ayres

DAVID O’Loughlin has encountered Kipling’s ‘two imposters’ many times in his career and has always heeded to the poet’s advice. Win or lose, O’Loughlin stays cool and gives his side of the story without histrionics.
However, even O’Loughlin cut loose in April this year when a national newspaper declared the Cong man’s Olympic bid had been ‘blown out of the water’ - he would not be going to Beijing.
When The Mayo News asked O’Loughlin to comment, his reply was short, pithy and unprintable. He added: “I’ve got a good chance of qualifying, but I may have to wait until June 20 before it’s confirmed.” Events have proved, O’Loughlin’s timing was spot on and his confidence well placed.
When asked to name his greatest attribute as a cyclist O’Loughlin replied “colossal determination.” He has needed every ounce of that determination to see him through the highs and lows of the past decade.
The highs - seven national titles, big race wins in Ireland, Britain, Belgium, USA and Canada, plus two stage wins and three top-five finishes in the FBD Rás, have been counter-balanced by some lows.
Injury and poor form saw his career go into reverse in 2001 and ‘02. Some feared that a career of high promise would fizzle out.
The bad times ended in 2003 when he started winning races and picking up national medals with impressive consistency.
In 2004, O’Loughlin finished third in the Rás then scored a convincing victory in the national road race - the final selection race for the Athens Olympics.
But a few hours after getting his All-Ireland gold, O’Loughlin was informed that another rider would be going to Greece.
It was a crushing blow and O’Loughlin stopped training until his coach Padraig Marrey and manager Frank Campbell helped to get him motivated again.
Perhaps that selection snub sowed the seeds of his eventual switch to the track. Road racing can be a lottery - weather, crashes, bad roads, hills, team loyalties and rivalries can all affect the outcome.
In a track pursuit race there are no distractions. The rider stands alone; success or failure is dictated by his race times. The best man invariably wins.
So, when O’Loughlin crowned a successful 2007-08 season by clocking sixth fastest time in the World Track Championships in March, he joined the sport’s elite and proved he was worthy of an Olympic place.