Veronica O'Neill wants to cherish Slovenia experience

Local athlete Veronica O’Neill wants to take in every moment in Slovenia this week as she represents Team Ireland in the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival.

The 17-year-old will compete in the 100m hurdles competition, the pinnacle of a successful career to date, in which she has won Ulster titles year after year since she started competing at 13.

It is an extraordinary opportunity for the City of Derry Spartan, who has come a long way from training with her four brothers at Templemore.

Dad Jim, who coaches Veronica, recalls the early days before she surpassed her siblings due to her determination to succeed.

“Veronica’s brothers were all involved in athletics in one way or another and she was just tagging along as well,” he recalled. “One brother did shot putt, the other three did hurdles, so when we were training, she would be skipping over them and when the hurdles training started at U13 she just took to do because she had already been doing it. Her technical level was really good, even at the start.”

It has been quite the journey for father and daughter, who had been inseparable for the most part ever since she first jumped her first hurdle.

“I love it,” Jim continued. “We go away to a lot of competitions together so we do spend a lot of time together. Down the track she can give me a bit of jip, but she’s very good overall. There’s no hassle with her. We’re unbelievably proud of her. It’s the next step up for her, so we’re bursting and I wouldn’t miss it.”

The competition in Slovenia takes place from 23rd to 29th July in Maribor, and Veronica will test herself against some of the best athletes in the world. It is an experience which is both exciting and scary in equal measure.

“It’s kind of intimidating because some of the people going have been there last year as well,” she explained. “I’ve been to England and Scotland for competitions but this is the highest stage I’ve ever done, so I’m nervous about that.

“This is much more serious and there’s a lot to take it. I was really nervous a couple of weeks ago, but now, coming up to it, I’m really excited and looking forward to it. I’m trying to tell myself there’s no pressure and it’s just an experience. I’m not putting myself under pressure to do well, just try to ‘PB’ and enjoy myself when I’m out there.”

Like any teenager, there is so much going on in Veronica’s life, so trying to find a proper balance between training, which she does four times a week, education and having a social life has proved to be quite the task.

“It is hard balancing everything, especially with my social life because there are people going out now, so trying to find time to go out with friends can be hard,” she acknowledged. “Back in October I got a job as well, so I was balancing that with A-Levels and training and it didn’t really work, so I had to quit. It can be hard, but my friends are understanding; I just try to fit stuff in around that and school as well because that comes first.”

Determination

Reaching this level of competition takes sacrifice, self-discipline and plenty of resilience and Veronica has had to learn to bounce back from setbacks, a skill necessary for any successful athlete.

“When you’re training and you go to competition and you don’t do as well as you thought you were going to do, it can be disheartening,” she admitted. “If that keeps happening, it’s hard to stick at it, but when you have a good day and you ‘PB’, and you feel good, I think that’s what keeps you going because you know you have it in you and you know you can keep getting better. You never thought you were going to but then you proved that you did and that’s motivating.”

This week is set to be one of the most memorable of Veronica’s life to date, and she is determined to make the most of the experience and cherish every single second.  

“The heat is on Thursday and the final is on Friday. I’m kind of hoping I get into the final on Friday, but I’m just trying to ‘PB’ as well,” she said. “I am going to try and take it all in when I’m there because I know it’ll fly in and I’ll be home again, so I’m going to enjoy the experience when I’m there.

"I am proud of myself. I never thought I would stick at it for as long as I have, and now this has come, and it’s mad.”

Dad Jim will be there as always, cheering from the sidelines, and he expressed his gratitude to those who have helped Veronica along the way.

“Veronica has been in the Northern Ireland Youth Academy for the past few years and she has travelled to Coleraine every Wednesday to do strength and conditioning work with Amy and Scott, and that’s a big part of her improvement over the last two or three years,” he added.

“She’s also been on warm weather training with the Academy, and went to Portugal for 10 days, which was to get them used to proper training camps and being away and taking a bit of responsibility for your own nutrition and hydration, so she has learned a lot from that and that is all preparation for what she will experience in Slovenia.

“She also has a good network of friends and other coaches, here with Cit of Derry Spartans, but we have other friends in other clubs also and we join them regularly for training sessions, and we’re grateful for that.”

Good luck Veronica!