Episode 2
Belfast born Michael Conlan is on the Road To Rio and boxing superstardom. In Episode 1, having already qualified for the 2016 Games, Michael added European Gold to his 2014 Commonwealth gold and 2012 Olympic bronze. Now he is focused set on completing the set, as he travels to Doha for the World Championships. Whatever the outcome he represents Ireland’s best chance for gold at the Rio Games.
Fiona Doyle is a swimmer from Limerick, who lives, works and trains on a Sports scholarship at the University of Calgary. Having failed in her bid to achieve the Olympic Qualifying standard at the European Championships, the pressure is on for Fiona as she chases down the time. With her family watching on at home, Fiona competes at the World University Games in South Korea hoping to book her place on the plane.
The father of three Robert Heffernan is married to retired international sprinter Marian. Aiming to reach his fifth Olympic Games, Rob came agonisingly close to winning a medal at London 2012. With the support of his family Rob rebounded from his disappointment in London to win gold at the 2013 World Championships and we join him as he looks to build on this success at the European Championships in Zurich.
But things don’t go according to plan.
Series Overview
Road To Rio is a six-part series that captures the ecstatic highs and crushing lows as Ireland’s medal hopefuls- across a range of disciplines – train, compete and try to qualify for Rio 2016. The audience will be watching on as the tension builds before big qualifying events, as these athletes strive to reach the pinnacle of sporting achievement- the Olympics.
Focusing not just on sport, this observational documentary series also draws a clearer picture of these exceptional people and how they balance a world-class training regimes with living their everyday lives.
Drawn from urban and rural backgrounds, from across Ireland, the would-be Olympians compete in a wide range of disciplines – Boxing, Modern Pentathlon, Race Walking, Sailing, Showjumping, Sprint Hurdles, Swimming, Taekwondo, Track Cycling, and the Marathon- featuring a mix of first timers full of hunger, alongside experienced campaigners who know how much sacrifice lies ahead. While we would like all our athletes to win gold medals, inevitably for some, the Road To Rio will end in disappointment.
Many of our sporting hopefuls struggle to finance their dream of representing the nation, while having to stay focused on the end game. As they train to be one of the world’s best, Road To Rio shines a light on the effect this level of dedication has on their personal and private lives.