“CHEATERS are cheaters”: the honest words of Limerick Olympian Fiona Doyle. The entire city and county looked on last Sunday evening as Fiona narrowly missed out on qualification for the semi finals of the 100m breaststroke at the Rio games. The pride of having a Limerick person at the Olympics is something that people in this area will long remember. Fiona’s ability and work rate to reach the Olympics should be applauded.
For me however, her courage and commitment to speak her mind after the race is something even better.
“Cheaters are cheaters and FINA caved and it’s not fair on the rest of the athletes. She has tested positive five times this year and she has got away with it,” Doyle said, speaking about Russian Yulia Efimova.
“It is frustrating, the fact that FINA is going back on their word and the IOC is going back on their word. Who were we supposed to trust now? FINA says we are a clean sport, but we’re not.”
To speak like that, with such integrity for her sport is something which all sports people should be made aware of. The Olympics games and indeed, professional sport have been tarnished forever by drug cheats, but in 20 years timeFiona and her family can look themselves in the mirror, knowing that they gave everything of themselves, everything honestly.
