INSIDE STORY: Leona's in full swing for Rio Olympics

Golfing star LEONA MAGUIRE will have a global platform when she tees off at the Rio Olympics as part of Team Ireland in the coming weeks. Taking a break from her preparations at the Slieve Russell Hotel’s golf course, she spoke to SEAN MCMAHON about her hopes at the games, the zika virus scare, not having Rory McIlroy cheering her on and whether she will turn professional this year.

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AC: Watching previous Olympics, did you ever imagine you would one day compete in them yourself?
Leona: I probably hoped so, I don’t know if I thought I would. Every four years I would always have watched the athletics and the swimming and pretty much any sport that was on. Golf is only back in it this time. When I was younger and doing a lot of swimming, I hoped that I might get the chance to go for swimming – it is a dream come through for me.

AC: Have you any heroes from previous Olympics? What did you most admire about them?
Leona: Katie Taylor is probably the big one. I have had the opportunity to meet her quite a few times. She has always been incredibly nice and has represented Ireland so well over the last few years. She works so hard, she is probably a great role model. Her humility is to be admired. She still works hard and is as motivated as ever to get that second gold medal.

AC: What are you looking forward to most at the Olympics?
Leona: I think I’m just looking forward to getting out there and competing. I don’t really know what to expect – it will be great to be part of Team Ireland out there and get to mix with all the other athletes and go and see some of the other sports and I suppose have a crack at a medal myself.

AC: Are you excited about the opening ceremony?
Leona: Unfortunately we will be there for the last two weeks of the games so we won’t be there for the opening ceremony. We will be there for the closing ceremony – it is an incredible experience. It is amazing to watch it on TV every four years – it should be even better to be there in real life.

AC: Are any of your family going to Rio with you? I know your sister Lisa will be there as your Caddy.
Leona: Mum and Dad and Odhran will be watching at home – they won’t be making the trip out. It will be nice to have Lisa there alongside me caddying, I’m sure she will be a great help to me.

AC: When did you both agree on that arrangement for Lisa to be your Caddy?
Leona: A few months ago names had to be submitted for accredication. It was between Lisa and Dad, Declan and it was a toss-up between the two of them. Both of them have caddied for me in the past, so both have quite a bit of experience.

AC: It will be nice to have your sister there and in view of the fact that you are twins - I presume you are close?
Leona: Yes we are – we have grown up doing everything together and playing all different sports. We went to school together in the same class. Lisa is actually over in Sweden, playing herself. She would have liked to be going herself, but to be out there caddying, I suppose is the next best thing.

AC: Golf is essentially a solo sport - does the Olympics offer a taste of team sport, or will you approach it in the same way as every other championship?
Leona: Stephanie Meadow is going with me and Paul McGinley is going to be our Captain – the competition itself is all individual and there is no sort of team aspect to it. It will be nice to have the support of all the other athletes, it is one of the biggest Team Ireland’s that has gone out to the games in years. It will be nice to see what they are doing and to cheer them on and have them cheer us on.

AC: Is there anyone from Team Ireland you are particularly looking forward to meeting?
Leona: No one really in particular – it is always nice to meet different athletes that have put in so much time and effort getting to the top of their sport. I am looking forward to meeting as many of them as I can in general and sharing different experiences and enjoying ourselves out in Rio.

AC: How is your form going into the Olympics? How did you do in your most recent tournaments?
Leona: The Olympics is going to be a little bit different for me in that I am still a amateur. It is all professionals that are going to be out there, I am only one of three amateurs that are going – so it is going to be an incredibly strong field out there. I am going to give it my best go.
I have the British Open this week over in England – that will be a good warm-up and test run for the Olympics. I played recently in the US Open in San Francisco, we won the Curtis Cup back in June, and I played will in the British Amateur - I have been playing well all year. I have been putting in a lot of practice here at the Slieve Russell and fine tuning everything to make sure I have all my bases covered and am in the best possible shape going to
Rio.

AC: What have you heard about the Barra da Tijuca golf course? Will it suit your game?
Leona: It is a brand new golf course – it was built especially for the Olympics. Paul McGinley was out there earlier on in the year and he sent me pictures and we talked a little bit about what it was going to be like. It is on the coast, so it is going to be windy – it is going to be almost like Links, which we get here - hopefully it will play to my strengths. It is going to be winter time over there, so it is not going to be incredibly warm. It is going to be pretty much like Irish weather – a bit of wind and not too warm, so it should suit me pretty well.

AC: In withdrawing from the Rio Olympics, Rory McIlroy raised concerns over the Zika virus. Are you worried about such health concerns? Will you take any precautions to avoid contracting the virus?
Leona: We have done a lot of research – Mum and Dad have looked into it a lot and talked to a lot of different doctors – Olympic Council doctors and all the rest. Everybody is saying the risk is down 95% and they are hoping that it will be 100% gone by the time the games come around. What they are nearly saying now is that the risk of contacting it is very very minimal. I know our uniforms have long sleeves and all our clothes are going to be treated with insect repellent. I am going to get checked as soon as I come home and even if I do get it, it is only flu like symptoms for about a week or so. I was talking to one of the athletes going – she is a steeplechase athlete and she is actually a doctor and she was saying that it was nothing to be worried about as of right now. I think I should be fine.

AC: Had your sister Lisa any concern about it when she learned that she would be your caddy?
Leona: We looked into it and there is nothing there that is over concerning. I think if there was more concern, there would be a lot more female athletes withdrawing, even though a lot of the men pros have withdrawn – there has been no female golfers pulled out, or no female athletes of any kind have pulled out. I think that is a fair indication that it is alright.

AC: How did you feel when Rory said he’d probably watch the Olympics on TV, but not the golf, only the events that matter - track and field. He was quoted as saying “I’ll probably watch the Olympics, but I’m not sure golf will be one of the events I watch.” What was your impression when you heard that?
Leona: I suppose that it is a little bit disappointing that he will not be cheering us on – there will be plenty of other people all around the country watching every sport, so I will not focus too much on him. He can have his own perspective obviously, he hasn’t been a big fan of the games for a while now. It will be great to have Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power out there – Padraig is a great guy and he has been very good to me over the past few years.

AC: Where does the Olympics rank in your career so far?
Leona: Definately, the Olympics will be the biggest event I’ll ever have played in. I think it is the pinnacle of most sports – golf is a little different in that we have our Majors as well. Every four years you have twenty chances of winning a Majors – you only have one chance at a gold medal. It definitely has to be very high up there.

AC: Would an Olympic medal be on a level with a Majors win for you?
Leona: Definately, to win a gold medal is a very special thing – only very few people in the world can say they have an Olympic gold medal. No, I would give my right arm for one. I will be doing my very best to try and get one.

AC: What’s your ambition for the Olympics?
Leona: It is going to be hard for me in the fact that it is going to be the top pros in the world, that I am not playing against week in and week out. You never know what could happen, if I play my very very best. You never know – the conditions hopefully will suit me. We will see what happens – I haven’t any real big expectations going out there, for me to get in the top ten would be a bonus.

AC: When you return from the Olympics – is the professional game an attraction for you – will you be going professional soon?
Leona: I’m definitely looking at it in the near future, I haven’t decided exactly when. I have always wanted to be a professional golfer, so playing in these events is getting me ready for that, give me a taste of it. It is always nice to test your game against the best pros in the world, to see where you are at. The Olympics will be good for that.

AC: Can we expect big news on that front from Leona in the coming months so?
Leona: Yeah, we will see how the rest of the summer goes. I have quite a busy summer, I’ll see how that goes and sit down with Mum and Dad and everybody and look at everything and see what my options are.

AC: How is your young bother Odhran progesssing on the golf scene?
Leona: He is doing well. He broke his arm earlier in the year and that sort of knocked him out for a while, but he has been playing away all summer. Mum and Dad have been very busy going with me and Lisa and Odhran everywhere. So we have not been at home too much over the summer.

AC: Your parents have been a great support and inspiration to you all. I suppose you would like to say a word about them?
Leona: Absolutely, without a doubt I wouldn’t have achieved anything close to what I have, if it wasn’t for both their help. They have both sacrificed a lot for both myself and Lisa. I wouldn’t be going to the Olympics if it wasn’t for everything they have done for the past twenty years. I’m grateful for everything they have done”.

AC: Where are you based currently in America?
Leona: I’m in College out in North Carolina. I have been there for the past two years. I’m home for the summer here in Ballyconnell practising at the Slieve Russell most of the time”.

AC: What are you studying in College.
Leona: Psychology and Business – I have two years left. It has been a great experience going over there, everyone has been very helpful and friendly.

AC: Where do you see herself in ten years time?
Leona: Obviously the dream is to be on the LPGA Tour in America playing professional golf – that is what I will be working towards in the next coming years.