Who is Jack Woolley? Five things you need to know from his partner to attack in Dublin
Moran/sportsfile Of Securing Worldwide Only The Taekwando 16 For Team In Ireland Spots Olympics His Olympian Woolley Jack Class Brendan Picture: Paris One
Irish taekwondo athlete Jack Woolley will take on Azerbaijan’s Gashim Magomedov just after 10.45am this morning at the Paris Olympics. He can go all the way and win a medal, but also knows it could be all over after just one fight.
Here are five things you need to know about Ireland’s taekwondo Olympian.
Jack Woolley is from Tallaght in Dublin. He is 25 years old, turning 26 in September.
He was one of the first to qualify for his sport in Tokyo, but was knocked out in the round of 16 by Argentinian Lucas Guzman.
He has come back stronger, however, securing one of only 16 worldwide spots in his class for the Paris Olympics.
Reflecting on the 2021 games, he said it didn’t go to plan but it did make him appreciate things a lot more.
He said he put a lot of pressure on himself in Tokyo and was “feeling very stressed” as he was the first person in Ireland to go an Olympics in this sport.
“It felt like there was a lot of pressure on me to put a good image of the sport out to the Irish public,” he told the Irish Times.
For Paris, though, he has a much more positive mindset.
“I’m going to go into these Games to enjoy it, have the best experience, and that’s the only way I’m going to come away with a medal.”
With combat sports, weight is big issue, with some athletes often feeling forced to take drastic measures. Woolley must weigh in at under 58kg – or approximately nine stone – the day before fights. He stands at 5’ 11’’, which means he has a complicated relationship with the scales.
His relationship with food has been “terrible” since he was young.
“Growing up, my mam always had issues with me eating, because I was always skinny. It’s not healthy at all. But it’s something that I’m working on. I have a nutritionist and a psychologist, and I deal with weight a lot better now.
“There was a period of time where it got stressful. Because it was eating me alive, forgive the pun. It was just all I could think about. Any time I got asked a question, it might not be about the weight, but I’d always bring it back to the weight just because it was containing my life.
“Now I have a much better handle on it, a better relationship with food. I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but I also wouldn’t say it’s anywhere near what it used to be. A lot of young athletes find it the hardest part. There’s a period of time where you’re going through puberty, you’re trying to figure out things. Especially in young girls, it’s a big issue.
“Something I look forward to, when I do retire, is never standing on a weighing scales again.”
In August 2021, just five days after the Tokyo Olympics had ended, Woolley was assaulted by “a gang of 8 to 12 men and women” in Dublin.
The Tallaght man took to Instagram to show the injuries he sustained.
In the post, he said that he was crossing the street after enjoying a night out with friends when he was punched in the mouth.
He was walking along the boardwalk at the River Liffey when the gang began “violently attacking people”.
"Unfortunately I was victim to these random attacks as I was just walking by, before I was punched in the face by one of these group members,” he said. The Olympian said he was punched once, before being told "my mistake wrong person", as the group then ran off.
"Luckily, I was able to phone an ambulance and stay conscious," he said on social media, adding that his friends stayed with him and helped him.
Woolley, who was just 22 at the time, had to undergo surgery after the incident, and had received an outpouring of support online from fellow Olympians such as Kellie Harrington, politicians and fans.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be alright," he said at the time as he thanked the thousands of people who had reached out to him.
Woolley also met his partner, Dave, in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics.
The couple headed to Tenerife just weeks before the Paris games kicked off, with Woolley posting on Instagram that they were back in their “happy place”.
He told the Irish Times that Dave, a personal trainer, was the best thing that has ever happened to him.
“Of course, I love being an Olympian, but I never thought I’d have this type of relationship, with the sport, because it’s very hard to balance, being constantly away, stuff like that.
“My mam has this story about when she first met my dad, came home and my nana rolled her eyes and said, ‘Oh no, here we go!’ And my mam said she had the same moment with me when I came home after meeting him for the first time.
“It was the right time. Maybe I didn’t go into it expecting anything, as much as it happened. There were a crazy few months after Tokyo for me, so just to have somebody there that cared, and actually cared.” Woolley said the relationship helps to keep him “in line” whenever he feels a bit overwhelmed.