100 years after its first ever participation in the Olympic Games, Ireland had its most successful result at Paris 2024.

Taking home gold medals in four sports, our athletes did us proud – and have become hugely inspirational to Ireland’s youth as a result. But young people aren’t the only ones who can be inspired by Ireland’s Olympic talent; people from all walks of life, including business owners like you, can learn from their success.

Keep reading to learn what Ireland’s 2024 Olympic gold medallists can teach business owners about the power of mindset.

Kellie Harrington, Women’s 60kg Boxing

Kellie Harrington, born and raised in Dublin, took up an interest in boxing at 15 years old. But when she approached her local club and asked to become a member, she was told they didn’t accept girls.

Harrington wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and was eventually accepted by the club. Training in a competitive environment with mostly male opponents, she quickly became a top amateur boxer. To support herself, she worked as a part-time cleaner at St Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital.

But after winning gold medals at the 2018 Women’s World Boxing Championships, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024, Harrington shocked Irish sports fans by announcing that she is retiring from international boxing.

She said to RTÉ: “I think I’ve earned the right to retire now. I’ve been boxing for 20-odd years. I’m going to try to enjoy these moments and give a bit of myself to the next generation.

“A lot of the time [my wife] Mandy gets neglected, my family gets neglected. I just can’t wait to get home, sit on the sofa, and not talk about boxing! It’s the very simple things in life that you miss the most when you can’t have them.”

As a business owner who is perhaps also close to retirement, there’s so much to learn from Kellie’s mindset.

Firstly, Kellie Harrington knew when to say “enough is enough”. This doesn’t mean she dislikes the sport she has excelled at all her life, but rather that there’s a new chapter waiting for her that involves slowing down, being with her family, and taking life at her own pace.

Moreover, Harrington’s resilience as a boxer has taught her what her long-term goals are. While she loves the intensity of training, and is hardy enough to withstand the toughest competitors in the ring, she now has the confidence to leave at the top of her game and try something new.

This might be challenging for successful business owners. It can be tempting to keep going until you are forced to stop working by your age, health limitations, or other life events, but this means you are not in control of how and when you retire.

If you take a leaf out of Harrington’s book, though, you could find that “quitting while you’re ahead” allows you to embrace retirement as a positive change.

Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan, Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls

McCarthy and O’Donovan, both from County Cork, are Ireland’s Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls rowers, and won gold medals together in both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

When asked by RTÉ about whether he’s planning to compete in the LA 2028 Olympic Games, O’Donovan – a long-time Irish rowing champion – said, “Yes, it’s definitely on my mind. I must go home and write out a plan for the next four years to see how it’ll fit in.”

While this might sound like a throwaway statement, O’Donovan is demonstrating the strategic mindset of a successful athlete. As soon as the current objective – gold in Paris – was won, the two rowers were already thinking about their next mission and knew it would involve careful planning.

As a business owner, applying an athlete’s level of discipline, drive, and strategy to your own company could help you achieve your aims in the time frame you desire.

While athletes often can’t control the timeline of their own career – they don’t choose when major events happen, and must train to a rigid schedule – you have the freedom to map out your business’s future. That can mean you’re able to tailor your goals even more specifically than O’Donovan and McCarthy, and work towards them with consistency and determination as these athletes do.

Rhys McClenaghan, Men’s Pommel Horse

At just 25 years old, Rhys McClenaghan has become the first ever Irish gymnast to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He is also the first gymnast in history – from any country – to become the Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth champion on one apparatus: the pommel horse.

McClenaghan grew up in Newtownards, County Down, and trained in gymnastics from the age of six years old.

Although his career appears glittering from the outside, Rhys had one major setback: he lost his grip on the pommel horse and fell onto his chest while competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. While he was tipped as the favourite to win gold, this error meant that McClenaghan walked away in 7th place.

Speaking to RTÉ about this setback after his win in Paris, Rhys said, “Any bad thing that happens in your life, you’ve got the chance to redeem it. It’s the yin and yang of life, isn’t it? What comes before order often has to be chaos, and Tokyo was chaos, but I’ve created order out of it today.”

While he’s still very young, McClenaghan’s timeless wisdom might ring true for you, especially where your business is concerned.

We all make mistakes. Whether it’s hiring the wrong person for the job, taking on too much debt, or letting doubts get in the way of an expansion opportunity, every business owner worth their salt has made choices they later regret.

Nevertheless, letting these regrets define you could limit your ability to reach further success in the future – much like if McClenaghan had quit his sport after falling in Tokyo, he wouldn’t have won gold in Paris.

Daniel Wiffen, Men’s 800m Freestyle Swimming

At the age of 23, Daniel Wiffen won a gold medal in the Men’s 800m Freestyle Swimming at Paris 2024.

Now a student at Loughborough University, Wiffen was born in England before moving to Magheralin, Northern Ireland, at the age of two. He competed in Tokyo 2020 but did not place on the podium, and in the following three years, competed in the World and European Championships, winning gold medals in both. He is the first Irish swimmer in history to win a medal at the World Long Course Championships.

Not only is Wiffen a university student and star swimmer, he’s also building a media following of his own. Daniel and his identical twin brother, Nathan, who also swims competitively, have their own YouTube channel called Wiffen Twins, on which they watch back their races and offer commentary on their performances. Daniel is also highly active on Instagram, having nearly 100,000 followers.

As an entrepreneur, you could learn a lot from Wiffen’s approach to his swimming career. He is not only a highly successful athlete, but has taken the opportunity to create an online platform for himself, offering professional insights into his area of expertise and gaining a large following too.

No matter what industry you work in, it’s likely that having an online presence has become essential to your business in recent years. Being active on social media and having a user-friendly website immediately “puts you on the map” and gives customers a greater chance of finding and using your services.

Having this online presence also gives loyal customers and clients the chance to leave positive feedback for all the world to see. We’ve written previously about why it’s important to encourage online reviews of your business, as this promotes good faith in new customers or prospects. Using Wiffen’s example, you could grow your potential clientele and remain “with the times” by ensuring your business is present and active in the online world.

Ireland’s gold medallists come from different parts of the country and excel in entirely dissimilar sports. But one thing ties them together: their determination to reach the outcome they desire, and the wisdom to remain humble and keep pursuing the future they want for themselves.

Get in touch

A financial planner is a little like a sports coach. You’re in control, but the planner is right beside you, helping you overcome obstacles, map out your future, and achieve success.

To learn more about working with financial planners who specialise in serving business owners like you, email us at clients@iqf.ie, or call 353 71 915 5560.

Please note

This article is for information only. It does not constitute advice.

It describes financial planning services that iQ Financial can offer to you. Financial planning services are not regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.