It still surprises Gary Ryan when some people refer to him as the former Tipperary hurling fitness coach. His five seasons involved did help yield some big triumphs, including the 2016 All-Ireland title, two years after narrowly losing out to Kilkenny in a replay.
Before that, Ryan also played a pivotal role in curing Lar Corbett of his chronic hamstring afflictions before he went on to score a hat-trick in Tipperary’s All-Ireland final win in 2010. That season, Corbett was named Hurler of the Year.
The truth is Ryan’s coaching prowess stretches far beyond that. For the last five years he’s been head of capability and expertise with the Sport Ireland Institute, playing a hand across elite Irish sport, up to and including the medals won at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
Despite this, many people will know him as Gary Ryan the sprinter. He’s no longer Ireland’s fastest man, but few Irish men ran faster for longer. A two-time Olympian – in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 – he won 16 Irish sprint titles and broke 30 Irish records. He lowered or equalled the 100m record six times, with his best of 10.35 seconds set in 2004.
READ MORE
Last Monday, he started a new role as performance director with Triathlon Ireland. That may surprise some people. By his own admission, Ryan has occasionally dabbled in swimming, cycling and distance running. Just not all in the one go.
“With the Institute, I’d been working with all the performance directors and a couple of different coaching groups,” he says. “So I’d been impacting on the system in a broad way, whereas I probably get more satisfaction from impacting on people and individual athletes.
“Performance director is one role I haven’t done yet and it does mean getting a bit closer to day-to-day performance – that’s what appealed to me about this. I’ve seen how other sports have been able to maximise high performance, we want to do it in triathlon now.
“I’m not going to stand here and claim I’m an expert in triathlon. My knowledge has been around high performance, the structures for athletes. It’s also that bit about testing your weaknesses, having to learn new things. I still get excited by that.
“But one of the things I have learned over the years is there’s a lot more in common in high performance in general, across the different sports. It’s also about being surrounded by good people, as I was in Tipperary. And know where your lane is, as they say in sprinting.”
[ The difference between running and cycling through the pain barrierOpens in new window ]
He was invited into the Tipp hurling set-up in 2014 by then-manager Eamon O’Shea, who described Ryan as one of his “heroes”. At the time, Ryan confessed his hurling credentials added up to “a big fat zero”, but that wasn’t strictly accurate. He was born in Kilcommon, in the heartland of Tipperary hurling, and is a cousin of Declan Carr, who captained Tipperary to their 1991 All-Ireland win.
Triathlon Ireland have recently set up their high-performance base at the University of Limerick, which also appeals to Ryan, who now lives in Clare with his young family. Qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics begins in May, so there’s no time to lose. Ireland secured triathlon spots for the three Olympics before Paris, so bridging that gap is paramount.
“I see the same trajectory as with hurling – learning as you go. I won’t be coaching athletes directly, just facilitating the system that allows them to excel, because that’s what I do know. And the Limerick centre is an important development, getting more triathletes training together here, as a group.
“I do think we’ve a number of triathlon men and women with a good chance of qualifying for LA. It’s about making sure the horizons are high and thinking beyond just getting there, or doing okay. But you need the system and support behind that, and in triathlon that’s still in its infancy.”
What is certain is the Irish sporting landscape has transformed beyond recognition since Ryan’s time as a sprinter. The mentality to conquer the world is now evident in the likes of Kate O’Connor and Rhys McClenaghan, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Daniel Wiffen and Kellie Harrington.
“It wasn’t like anyone before didn’t want to be the best in the world. Or wasn’t trying to be the best. There just weren’t as many exemplars, people you could see and touch. I think it’s better understood now what that looks like. But there’s the competitive bit, in every athlete, going ‘if that person over there from Cork or Dublin is doing it, then why can’t I?’.
“There’s almost that demand now, to be in the best system where they all want to be the very best. There’s no messing about. There’s a true belief it can happen. And then there’s the support. You can have great ambitions, but you need to have them supported so you can stay up there. That scaffolding is there now, to allow you to train at the highest level that you need to.
“I remember training in winter, on an outdoor track with no lights. Irish sport needed resources, still needs more resources. It’s also transformative when you’re walking around the Institute and seeing Olympic and world champions. It makes you think differently.
[ LA Games: Ticket race for 2028 Olympics has begun – here’s what you need to knowOpens in new window ]
“Because yeah, when I was growing up, first watching the LA Olympics in 1984, I never thought we’d win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.”
Ryan still works with individual athletes and relay squads in a voluntary capacity (he coached Sharlene Mawdsley through to the end of 2024) and intends on bringing something from all his previous experiences into the triathlon.
“My role is to make sure we have a system that gives the athlete their best chance to succeed. Whether that’s an Olympic medal or not. And also allow them to leave the sport knowing they’ve achieved all they could, were nurtured and that we value their welfare. All those things have to stand together.”
