Countdown to Tokyo: “There’s absolutely no reason I can’t win”- Woolley

JACK Woolley wants it all, and why shouldn’t he?

Set to become Ireland’s first ever Taekwondo athlete in the Olympic Games when he takes to the mat in Tokyo this Saturday, the Tallaght man has scraped tooth and nail for this opportunity and is now targeting nothing less than gold.

Certainly the South Dublin Taekwondo star has every reason to believe in himself having rocketed up through the international ranks over recent years and only last month captured gold in the Mexico Open.

“To say I’m an Olympian is an amazing feeling, but I’m competitive and I want to get a gold medal” Woolley told The Echo.

“If you’re going to go to an Olympics I feel you should always be striving for the best, you should always be striving for gold.

“That’s what I’m doing. I’m constantly visualising myself on the podium, having that feeling of being proud that I’ve accomplished something that not many people can say they’d done.

“That’s what’s really driving me on. I’m trying to block out all the emotional stuff and just really push myself and get the hard work done.

“We qualified in December 2019 and I’ve had plenty of time to process it.

“Last year I was talking about possibly scraping a medal, coming away with a bronze.

“Now there’s absolutely no reason I can’t go out and win it.

“I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life. We’ve been able to focus on the actually training aspect, getting bigger, getting stronger and just becoming a better athlete in general over the last year and so I’ve put myself in a better position.”

While Woolley is in no doubt about his own ability on the mat, he also believes the very different atmosphere that is to be expected at the Tokyo Games will work in his favour.

“People can’t go and cheer for you and support you and I’m actually kind of happy with that because, I don’t have people who travel with me, I don’t really hear people in the crowd shouting for me unless it’s my friends from other countries, whereas these athletes from other countries are so used to having big crowds.

“Their parents travel with them sometimes because they’re able to afford it.

“My parents have only seen me fight abroad twice since I was about 12, so I’m used to it and I’m kind of happy that everything seems to be working out in my favour- just the whole getting in and getting out, the extra year to get better and I’m used to having quiet and that’s what I’m excited with.”

What’s more the Tallaght man is fuelled by the fact that he will be Ireland’s first ever Olympic representative in his sport saying “I love it. I feel like it pushed me more to actually try and qualify.

“It wasn’t just a personal goal, it was a goal that I wanted to have for the sport in our country.

“It was something me and Rob [Taaffe], my coach, wanted to do in order to help develop the sport in Ireland.

“Thinking about stepping on the mat as the first Olympic athlete in Taekwondo for Ireland, it’s a humbling and proud feeling, not a stress.

“If you think about it, I’m the first Irish person in my sport to have gone to Grand Prixs, I’m the first Irish person to have medalled at Grand Prixs, the first Irish person in Taekwondo to have reached the Olympics. I’ve been constantly reaching new milestones for the sport in Ireland.

“It’s nothing new to me. Reaching the Olympics is the biggest thing that could be possibly done other than become an Olympic champion so the plan is to not stop there, it’s to push for the last one so that I can say that I’ve done myself and hopefully Ireland proud.”