Name: Emily Hegarty
Event: Rowing - Women's four
Age: 26
Emily Hegarty contests a second Games having won Olympic bronze in Tokyo, an injury-ridden 2023 left her wondering if she would return to the water.
Hegarty is a native of Skibbereen, Cork and a biological sciences student at UCC, who she also rows for.
Hegarty is again part of the women's four team, one of a historic seven Irish boats to qualify for the games. The quartet left it late, winning the final Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne last month, following the same pattern as their qualification for Tokyo.
The 26-year-old had to sit out the entire 2023 season due to injury and made a return to competition in April this year with some 500 days since her last appearance in the boat for Ireland.
Her other career successes include a silver medal at the 2019 World U23 Rowing Championships, bronze at the 2020 European U23 Championships in the Women’s Pair, and reaching the final of the women’s pair at the 2018 World Rowing Championships with current team-mate Keogh.
