Limerick trio in the Irish squad for the Tug of War World Championships

CAPPAMORE'S John Carey, John O’Malley and Shane Kett are in The Netherlands to represent Ireland in the Tug of War World Championships this week.

The Mulcair club members have been in intense training for the last number of months to prepare for the task, having recently returned from the British and Irish Championships in Cardiff with bronze medals, winning against England in the 680kg category.

The World Championships take place in Holten, The Netherlands from September 14-18 and a live link to the games can be found on the Mulcair Club facebook page.

The three local athletes have been chosen to don the green jersey following a rigorous selection process in Tug of War Ireland’s High Performance Unit at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. They will form part of Ireland’s 30-member squad, competing against the best pullers in the world in the 640kg, 680kg and U23 600kg categories.

Mulcair coach Eddie O’Malley is excited at the prospect. “We are hugely proud of the immense amount of time, dedication and discipline the men have shown to reach the elite level of this sport. It is inspirational for everyone in our club - for new and existing pullers. Being selected to represent your country is an acknowledgement of all that effort and commitment. It is part of the Tug of War Ireland’s strategy, that an unobstructed pathway to success at the highest level is there for all our athletes”.

John O’Malley is looking forward to the challenge: “I think we’re all very excited.  Competing at this level means that we are breaking new ground for our club. I would hope that this would serve as an incentive for new and upcoming pullers to want to go further in the sport”. 

“I’m really excited to see how far we’re going to go in this competition”, says Shane Kett.

“It’s difficult to gauge the standard we'll be up against - almost like going into a fog. They are all elite athletes. While it’s a little nerve-wracking, I am really looking forward to competing against the best in the world and representing my club and country and I think we’ll navigate well”. 

On wearing the green jersey, John Carey says “So few have the opportunity to be selected for the Irish squad - to represent their county. There is a great sense of pride and respect when you have this chance. It makes all those training sessions in the winter months worth the pain - training in the rain and cold, hands torn from the rope and legs tired from the sheer effort. The jersey is the reason we persevered.”