Lizzie Lee – Athletics

Few Irish athletes feel more appreciative of their place in Rio. Lee took a long road to qualification, having only started running seriously at age 26. Before that she enjoyed swimming and triathlon, only for distance running to reveal her greatest strength. After coming close to qualifying for London, she took a year out to give birth to daughter Lucy, and last September came back stronger to run 2:32:51 in Berlin. She’s taken a break from her work with Apple in Cork to give Rio her best shot, and is now primed for the run of her life.