Irish nationalist, physician and hammer throw champion: Who is Pat O'Callaghan?

According to legend, in 1934, a psychopathic leader gave orders to ensure his country's success in the Olympics to be held two years later. One of the branches he targets is hammer throwing. For this purpose, he wants the best in that branch to be watched and examined. He even sent the people he assigned to this purpose to Ireland after the star hammer throw athlete of that period.

If what is said is true, the delegation sent by the dictator in question includes Leni Riefenstahl, whose name will be known as the "propaganda director" years later. Leni records the Irish athlete's workouts. The doctors in the delegation examine the body structure. Notes are taken and evaluations are made. The name of the dictator in question is, as expected, Adolf Hitler.

As for the athlete, he is the legendary name of hammer throw, who won gold medals in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics and is Ireland's pride.

Patrick "Pat" O'Callaghan (28 January 1906 – 1 December 1991) was an Irish athlete and Olympic gold medallist. He was the first athlete from Ireland to win an Olympic medal under the Irish flag rather than the British flag.

Pat O'Callaghan was born in 1906 in Kanturk, near Cork, Ireland. Pat, who was very involved with school from an early age, had a difficult path to go for his education. Because he had to travel a distance of approximately 45 kilometers per day. Little Pat got on his bike and hit the road every day in pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

Perhaps he had an extremely sporty body structure as a legacy from those days. In addition, he did not miss a single day of school graduated with honors, and went to the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin to study medicine. Pat, who did not stop his success at university, graduated from medical school at the age of 20 and became the youngest surgeon in the country. But being young may not always be an advantage. So much so that, due to his age, Pat could not find a place to work in his country, Ireland, and ended up in a hospital of the Royal Air Force stationed in the Middle East. He practiced his profession here for a while and then returned to his country.

On the other hand, there was another issue that was gnawing at this young man. Before he graduated from school, a different sport he stumbled upon had a place in his mind. When he saw the hammers being thrown by the young men, he came to the conclusion that this was a noble sport that required flexibility and strength. His first job was to go to a blacksmith and have a similar hammer made. Then he started to work on his own and apparently made a lot of progress. After all, those who work can achieve anything. At that time, there was no obstacle to aiming for the highest.

Pat, who started throwing hammers in 1925, had already stepped onto the field for his country at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. These Olympics included many firsts. Female athletes were competing for the first time, countries were parading for the first time, and the Olympic flame was lit throughout the games on a platform outside the stadium for the first time. However, another "first" awaited the audience.

Pat, who was only 22 years old at the time, exceeded expectations in the hammer throw competition and won a gold medal for his country. This medal had a special status beyond its personal meaning. This medal was the first medal Ireland won after becoming "free".

“I'm happy to win. But not for myself. "I'm happy to be able to show the world that Ireland has a flag, it has a national anthem, and that we are, in fact, a separate nation."

Pat, who returned home to his job, was now known by everyone in his country. While the "Doctor" was continuing his surgery, he was also continuing to prepare for the next Olympics. This time he was holding his job tighter. Because he would go to the Los Angeles Olympics with the title of previous champion. As you know, he would be everyone's target. However, when the competitions started, this did not affect much. As the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics came to an end, Pat had the gold medal around his neck again.

After his consecutive Olympic championships, Pat was eager for a third one. In his own words, he was in the best period of his career physically. However, he would have to say goodbye to these dreams due to political problems regarding his country's representation in the Olympics. However, this did not mean that it could not have a "special" place in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. That special place was Hitler's lodge.

It was said that Hitler was impressed by the success of the Irish hammer throwers before the Olympics and sent a special delegation to learn their secrets. The acquaintance that occurred during this period probably caused Pat to be given special respect by the Germans during the Olympics.

Pat continued his training for a while after the Olympics and, somewhat unexpectedly, went to the USA before the outbreak of World War II. Some rumors say that this situation was caused by a tragedy. Although the incident that resulted in the death of a small child during a hammer-throwing practice is associated with Pat, there is no solid information on this subject.

Pat, who attracted the attention of the organizers due to his international fame, spent his days in the USA participating in professional wrestling competitions. However, it is frequently mentioned in the stories told about him that he received an offer to act in Tarzan films during the same period and rejected it. However, it seems that "Doctor" Pat preferred to return to his country after a while and spend the rest of his life practicing his own profession.