Paralympic gold medalist Bridie Lynch 'heartbroken' following sad passing of Eamon Harvey

Bridie Lynch admits her heart is simply broken following the sad passing of Donegal athletics titan Eamon Harvey. 

The Donegal town native served as a coach at the Olympic and Paralympic games in Atlanta in 1996, a year in which he guided Lynch to Paralympic gold in the discus, the first Irish woman to win a gold medal at the games.

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“Eamon was a friend and mentor as well as a coach,” said the St Johnston native, who also collected a bronze medal in the shot put event at the same games. 

“He was a father figure, really, an absolutely outstanding and brilliant man. He just had a way about him. 

“I’m out of the game 20 years at this stage but I’m still heartbroken. It still feels like yesterday that we were in the thick of it, together. 

“He went to such lengths in his coaching and his dedication was unreal. It meant so much at the time. I certainly wouldn’t have got to the heights I did without his guidance and input”.

Lynch recalls heading off to the States back then, excited but not without nerves. But it was Harvey’s calm influence along the way that helped her dig deep and give the best possible account of herself. 

“You’re always nervous ahead of a big event like that. But when you have someone like Eamon in your corner, guiding you, it helped dramatically. 

“He just instilled confidence and belief. And that approach of his was infectious. In the end, by the time we got to Atlanta, I didn’t feel any pressure. It was just excitement. 

“Eamon gave me that. As much as anything, medals or whatever, he gave me that experience and I’ll always be so grateful for that. 

“Eamon kept reminding me I was going into those games off the back of a very good season. 

 “We got through a lot of hard work and preparation in the lead-in, Eamon and myself. 

“The conversions we had, he had a way with people. He wasn’t overpowering or overbearing. He seemed to speak up at just the right times and when it was really needed. 

“That was the beauty of him. He was gentle and sincere. He could get the best out of athletes and sports people like no one I’d ever seen or met since.”

In a High Performance environment, Lynch says it was Harvey’s pragmatic and often tranquil approach to coaching that really helped elevate her and so many others to a different level. 

“Plenty could learn a thing or two from Eamon Harvey. The way he guided people along, on and off the track, you don’t see enough of that in sport. 

“He tapped into something in a unique way where he just shifted worries and pressure. It was something else to see him in action. 

“He never once looked for any type of recognition. But the tributes this week show just what kind of impact he had and the esteem he was held in by so many.  

“He's left a legacy, an indelible mark. He had a love for athletics, surely, but he had a love for sport in general. 

“Eamon wanted the best for people and that was the key to all the success he had”.