Doctor Doyle undecided over possible LA Games tilt

Olympic badge winning rower Philip Doyle says he will ore connected his medicine profession successful 2025 earlier deciding whether to purpose for nan 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Banbridge man, 31, clinched double sculls bronze for Ireland on pinch partner Daire Lynch successful Paris earlier this month.

Doyle was competing successful his 2nd Olympics aft representing Ireland successful Tokyo 3 years ago.

"I’ll return immoderate clip and possibly title a spot this twelvemonth and past adjacent year, I’ll do a afloat twelvemonth of medicine and past I’ll make a determination whether to travel backmost aliases not for LA," Doyle told BBC Northern Ireland's Good Morning Ulster.

If Doyle does determine to prolong his rowing career, it will mean him relocating erstwhile much to nan Irish National Rowing Centre successful Cork.

"It’s a different tax, a different currency…..you person to import your vehicle. It’s a hassle.

"Next clip if I do it, do I person to move my full life down location because I was half backmost successful region Down? It’s a spot much of a analyzable decision."

Doyle added that his aesculapian profession "has evidently suffered massively" because of nan committedness he has fixed to rowing.

"Rowing takes a batch much than it gives. It’s a six-and-a-half days a week sport.

"I request to attraction a small spot much connected gaining a spot much aesculapian experience. I put my GMC [General Medical Council] exertion if anybody is listening and they tin hurry it up."

The region Down man was 1 of 3 Northern Ireland rowers to clinch Olympic medals successful Paris pinch Coleraine female Hannah Scott dramatically securing golden arsenic portion of nan Great Britain quadruple sculls vessel and Belfast autochthonal Rebecca Shorten earning metallic pinch GB's women's four.

Scott was nan first of nan Northern Ireland rowers to triumph a badge and Doyle joked that nan "pressure was now on".

"I said to myself, 'if Hannah tin get a medal, I’m getting a medal’. Then I sewage a badge and erstwhile I was waiting for nan podium, I saw Rebecca transverse nan statement and I was cheering for her.

"People were wondering ‘why is this Irish feline cheering for GB?’. It was 1 of nan astir astonishing experiences I’ve had of my life truthful far. Tokyo was quiet. No 1 there. Paris was 15,000 fans."

After winning his Olympic medal, Doyle decided his accomplishment to his precocious father, nan BBC Northern Ireland cameraman Eamon Doyle, who died successful 2015.

The rower revealed he watched a video that his begetter recorded pinch nan thief of different stalwart BBC Northern Ireland cameraman John Otterson soon earlier his death.

"I’ve watched it 3 times successful my life. The first clip was connected my own. Second clip was pinch my mum nan week aft he died and nan past clip was nan nighttime earlier nan Olympic Final. I haven’t watched it since because it’s excessively much.

"I brought him my first ever badge successful rowing erstwhile he thought I was a lunatic and was saying ‘why are you I training doubly a day. You’re obsessed pinch it’."

Doyle laughed arsenic he recalled his dada uncovering recovered macromolecule powder successful his room and "thinking it was drugs".

"I utilized to person to sneak retired of nan location successful nan greeting to spell for a tally truthful he wouldn’t outcry astatine maine for training doubly a day.

"[But] He came information to nan thought past erstwhile he saw nan success. We watched nan University Boat Race together successful nan hospice successful Newry."