Tag: Atlanta 1996

  • From Minor to Major

    From Minor to Major

    Ben Johnson’s now disgraced victory notwitstanding, the only proper memory of the Seoul Olympics in 1988 probably stems from the basketball. Yes, the fascination had taken hold back then. By ’92 in Barcelona, the Dream Team were a huge takeaway from the games for me, but there was also Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough in…

  • Phelps says what we all think amid more Chinese whispers

    Phelps says what we all think amid more Chinese whispers

    Such was the Irish efficiency on the global athletics stage when I was growing up that seeing the likes of Sonia O’Sullivan or Catherina McKiernan or Rob Heffernan or Derval O’Rourke feature prominently at major televised events was almost nonchalantly taken as a given. That’s not arrogance, just faith and confidence. Until that one occasion…