Hammer time! Cork athlete Nicola’s Olympic dream is alive

Some 55ft above sea level at the Tuthill farm that gives way to panoramic views of lush countryside and mountains that dot the 25-mile-long Cork/Kerry border, it is business as usual for Irish champion and Olympic hopeful, hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill.

“She has done all she can do make this year’s Olympics in Paris,” says Nicola’s mum Colette, proud that her daughter retained her national record at the National Championships in June, throwing a superb 68.54m.

Nicola’s personal best is 70m, and she is only the second Irish woman, behind Eileen O’ Keeffe, to achieve that distance. Nicola made the top 10 list at this summer’s European Games. Now she’s one of Ireland’s medal hopes for the Paris Olympics 2024.

“When Nicola got the letter from the Olympic Council congratulating her, confirming that she had made the ranking necessary to compete in Paris, she was thrilled,” says Colette.

“We are all over the moon! This is big, really big! We are all so excited!”

The preparation is underway for the Tuthills to leave on a jet plane.

“The bags are already packed!” says Colette, who will travel to Paris with her husband and their children.

“Norman, myself, Olivia, her boyfriend and Aoife, are all making the trip to Paris. We’re hoping we can figure out the Metro there!”

Nicola’s first event is on Sunday morning, August 4.

“The best of three throws will determine if she qualifies to compete in the final. It’s a tight margin.”

When I visit the family home, Colette, who keeps a close eye on her daughter’s throwing rotation technique, is retrieving the hammer after Nicola has given it another mighty heave-ho in the cage her father Norman built for her for training.

“It’s business as usual,” says Colette.

“Nicola (who is 20) is the youngest competitor taking part in the hammer event at the Olympics. It’s quite daunting, but it is a magnificent opportunity for Nicola to compete with the best in the world and to learn even more going forward.

“She has many years of competition ahead of her.”

I’m keeping a close eye on the magnificent champion. In the throwing circle, Nicola swings the hammer twice over her head, she pirouettes along with it, her speed increasing, and she whips a 360 degree turn four more times, her arms outstretched she lets fly.

It is poetry in motion.

“Retrieving the hammer relieves some of the physical exertion for Nicola,” says Colette, who is mum to Olivia, Nicola, and Aoife.

Is it true the hammer had to be rescued with a ladder quite often when Nicola was training in Bandon Park?

“That is true!” laughs Colette. “Norman got the bright idea to build a training cage for Nicola. When she was studying for her Junior Cert and the training sessions could last half a day, we had to commute to the other side of Bandon for training.

“Nicola’s sisters would be sitting in the car doing their homework while she was training. With the cage, Nicola can have her dinner and go out the back door and begin training. The cage was a game-changer.”

Is it also true that Nicola got her athletic prowess from her mother, speedy in her day, as Norman claims?

“That was a very long time ago!” says Colette.

And is it true that before Nicola, now a UCD student who won an Ad Astra scholarship, was a member of Bandon AC, that her older sister Olivia, with their mum and dad, won the family relay at Courcey AC sports day?

“That is true,” says Colette. “And that was a very long time ago as well!”

Nicola is now all set to step onto the Olympic stage in Paris.

“We were always working towards the Olympics,” says Colette. “Our sights in reality were set on 2028. Her aim was to do well at the European Championships, and she did very well there, coming 9th in her event.”

Now she’s heading for the Olympic arena.

It’s not all that long ago that her interest in the sport was piqued. Nicola was at a neighbour’s daughter’s communion when she met Kevin Warner, who started her off properly in throwing after she first discovered the hammer at an athletics summer camp hosted by Bandon FC.

“I started out in all events around age nine,” says Nicola taking a breather from training for a few minutes.

“I did a lot of cross-country running. Then I tried hammer throwing at a summer camp, and later I was at Kevin’s daughter’s communion, and was probably just joking around, the day before the county championships, saying that I was going to do the hammer and he said he’d coach me.”

The rest is history.

“My Dublin coach Killian is ten minutes away from UCD. So he’s able to come over and train with me during the day.”

Did Nicola settle into UCD after living and training at the family dairy farm in Baurleigh?

“I settled into UCD quite quickly,” says Nicola, who is studying Science, aiming to go into teaching.

“Living with the other athletes from different sports, that helped me a bit as well, all with similar mindsets, similar training.”

There was little doubt the 70m barrier brought her closer to within touching distance of the Paris Olympics.

“The season has been going really well so far, I’ve broken a few personal bests now, have a few good performances,” says Nicola.

“I have pushed on quite a bit this year.”

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Being a National champion and an Olympic champion must be all about resilience and strength?

“It’s just about building more strength, getting better speed and technique,” says Nicola.

“There is always improvement to be made there.

“To do well in Paris, I’ll need to be throwing out around 73m, a fair bit. The 2028 Olympics might be a more realistic goal. Hammer throwers reach their physical peak in their mid-20s.”

Did Nicola, dedicated to her sport, miss out on her social life during her teens and twenties?

“For eight years I missed out on the pub scene, the disco and night-club scene,” says Nicola.

“That never bothered me. I socialise in a different way. I love meeting up with my pals and catching up with them.”

Nicola’s amazing sporting achievements keep her grounded, and she doesn’t suffer from the fear of missing out.

“My achievements make up for anything I’ve missed out on,” says Nicola.

“I enjoy training and I like meeting the other girls at field events and competing against them. It’s always a great experience.”

She enjoys other things too.

“I like mucking in on the farm when I’m home,” says Nicola. “I quite like it! I’ve always loved the outdoors.”

There’s a lot of dedication involved to the sport.

“I’m up and down the road to Dublin between my coach Kevin in Cork and my coach Killian in Dublin,” says Nicola.

“The facilities at UCD are fabulous. I train four to five days a week, two sessions, taking up three to four hours a day. I have to be strong to be a power thrower.”

Does she ever get nervous?

“Yes, I do,” admits Nicola. “But that gives me extra adrenaline.”

Having her own training net on her doorstep was a big help in recent years - her dad went that extra mile for his daughter.

“When he built the cage, he asked a fisherman from Schull to source the nets to go around the cage. Davy, who works with us on the farm, helped dad put the bits and pieces together. Now I can train outside my own back door,” says Nicola.

Dad doesn’t court the limelight.

“We’re very proud of Nicola and of her sisters who are doing their own good things,” says Norman.

“To get anywhere you must stick at it. Nicola is very dedicated, and she keeps going. The cog is always turning. She is getting places, and she has a great future ahead of her.”

She’s getting more well-known near and far. Is it true the local SuperValu posted on Facebook that Nicola came into the shop recently?

“I believe so!” says Nicola. “I like stopping and chatting to everyone. They are all so nice.”

She is keeping her feet firmly on the ground. Her motto has paid off.

“I’ll keep working hard and I’ll get there,” she says.