Olympian Aoife O'Rourke: ‘Representing Ireland in the boxing with my sister is incredible'
'Doing it with Lisa was incredible,' Aoife said. 'It was definitely one of the highlights of my career so far, getting to bring home two silver medals to Castlerea and the community in Roscommon.'
'It was an amazing trip overall, with all the tough fights from the very start of the championship. That's to be expected at that level; there's no easy fights.'
Aoife – a four-time European champion and two-time Olympian – said it was great to have her sibling by her side.
'We're getting to see the world together. We're getting to represent our community, our town, county and Ireland on the biggest stages in boxing, and to be doing that with a sister is absolutely incredible,' she said.
'There's not too many people that can say that they've done that. We're there for each other. We're roommates when we're away. We support each other.'
The boxer is proud of her performance in the Olympics, and of her European titles.
'They're all highlights ... getting the opportunity to go to these places, different countries, and experience all that I have.
'I don't think there's a standout moment, but winning that silver medal [in Serbia] was definitely up there – one of my proudest moments. And doing it with Lisa made that trip extra special.
'Getting the opportunity to [be a full-time athlete] is incredible. I'm very, very honoured and grateful to get to do what I do.'
It's not all about boxing for the O'Rourke sisters though. Last month, they secured a world doubles title in Hyrox, the fitness competition.
Aoife said winning a world title in a sport other than boxing 'wasn't a plan at all'.
'We went out there to have fun... and next thing we knew, we were the first double back to the wall balls [the final segment of the contest], and ran up the ramp,' she said.
'And then, a few moments later, we found out that we're the fastest and that we're a champion. So that was really special.'
She said they got the opportunity to compete at the Hyrox World Championships in Chicago last month because of 'their local support at home'.
'It's an expensive trip, and we're just so grateful that we had people at home that sponsored us and looked after us. Only for them, we probably wouldn't have made the trip,' she said.
'It all comes back to your community and the people that you have surrounding you, supporting you on your journey and trying to make your dreams come true.'
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