Béibhinn Parsons has shared her important Olympic lesson that is “against common beliefs”.
The Ireland rugby star explained that people have always told her that you should treat major tournaments, like the Olympic Games, like any other match - however, this wasn’t her experience.
She stated that no matter how much preparation you do ahead of time, it doesn’t prepare you for what it’s really like in the Olympic village.
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Béibhinn looked back on her time at the 2024 Paris Games and shared how her preparation “went out the window”.
She told RSVP Live: “We did so much preparation at home. We looked at maps of the Olympics, the schedule, you visualised it and you do so much preparation.
“As soon as I walked into the village, it all went out the window. It’s completely different. There’s athletes that you look up to and you’re brushing shoulders with them and eating dinner with them. It’s a magical experience. It really does feel like the pinnacle of sport.
“That first game against GB, I was running out and I don’t think my body has ever produced so much adrenaline. My legs were trembling even before on the pitch. To look around and see Irish flags in every corner and to have such a solid team around you, you just want to take in the whole moment.
“It’s a mixture of being excited, nervous and really trying to be present amongst it all. It’s a different beast altogether.”
The Olympics taught her a lot about being an athlete, from embracing the experience to coming together as a team.
The Galway native shared: “The preparation for the Olympics taught me a lot about hard work, endurance and the days that you just don’t want to show, but you have to show up. We dealt with a lot of adversity as a squad. We overcame it together.
“It showed me that relying on teammates is really important. When it comes to performing, people say ‘don’t let the occasion get to you’ but I don’t fully agree with that. I think you should let the occasion fuel you and know that you’re at the Olympics, competing on a world stage. You can try to harness the energy that it creates.
“If you go into the Olympics and treat it like any other tournament, I don’t think you’re going to get the benefits of the occasion that it is. That’s something I learned. It goes against common beliefs.”
Béibhinn is an ambassador for the Tackle Your Feelings (TYF) campaign. TYF are encouraging teachers and schools nationwide to sign up to the free classroom-based programme to help equip students across Ireland with practical tools for building resilience, emotional intelligence, and positive mental health.
For more information on Tackle Your Feelings follow the Instagram account @tyf or visit the website www.tackleyourfeelings.com which will share videos, updates on events and competitions.
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