RTÉ commentator George Hamilton is set to receive a special award for his commentary and media work at various Olympic Games over the years.
The Irish commentator is best known for lending his voice to various different sports. The Women’s World Cup and various men’s Ireland games are two examples of this.
Hamilton, a Belfast native, has also covered over 11 Olympic Games in his career, though he was not present at the Paris Games. However, the Mirror reports that the 74-year-old and others will be honoured tomorrow in Paris for their work.
The report states, “Hamilton’s achievement is being marked in memorable fashion in Paris tomorrow. An event has been organised by AIPS, the International Sports Press Association, to honour a group of journalists who’ve covered 10 Olympics or more.”
The same report also notes, “Top sports champions of the past will present awards to Hamilton and other long-serving journalists who have devoted years to telling Olympic stories.”
Revealing how he got into commentating, the Irish media veteran shared how it all began: “I watched the 1976 Olympics at home in Belfast. We were glued to the 1500m where Eamonn Coghlan finished fourth, and I remember saying to my father how much I would have loved to have commented on that race,” said Hamilton.
You’d think that covering over 10 games would mean that Hamilton had witnessed a heap of gold medals for Ireland, but that wasn’t the case until his 10th Games in Tokyo. It was Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan’s Olympic rowing gold that became Hamilton’s first.
“The first Irish Olympic gold medal I commented on was O’Donovan and McCarthy; that is the moment that stands out most for me in terms of the Olympics.”
Speaking about his biggest challenge, Hamilton revealed that the 100-metre sprint was particularly challenging due to the lack of room for error. Usain Bolt’s record-breaking run in 2012 also stood out for him.
“As a commentator, the 100 metres is perhaps the greatest challenge of all.
“There’s no room for a mistake, and it’s all over so fast, so you must be spot-on from the gun to the finish line.
“I did all of Usain Bolt’s Olympic gold medal races, and he was just something else.
“The 100-metre final tends to be the standout moment, but some of the distance races have also produced unbelievable drama.”