Get to know Brendan

Bio: 

"I was born and raised in Dublin and played Gaelic football in primary school before transitioning into football. In secondary school I also gave track and field a go after my history teacher noticed my pace on the pitch. I then turned to Skeleton and have never looked back!"

Doyle's journey through sports and his career:

In 2003 Doyle was introduced to the sport of Skeleton by the Irish Bobsleigh during his training at Morton Stadium. "This was just after Clifton Wrottesley (IRL) had finished fourth in the skeleton competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics. I was in the gym and the Irish Bobsleigh team, knocked on the window, pointed at me, and said, 'You, come out here.'

"So I went out, and they pointed to this sled and asked me, 'Do you want to push that thing?', and I said, 'heck yeah!' 

"So I pushed it, and they told me, 'This is skeleton; you only have to push it 30 metres.' That's all I needed to hear!" 

Doyle began training with the Irish team, and travelled to a skeleton school in Innsbruck, Austria. "I remember the first time I went down the track on the sled, I hit every wall," Doyle recalls. "It was terrifying, but I got to the bottom and I thought to myself, 'That was the best experience ever; let's do that again."

Doyle had discovered a natural affinity for the sport, but when he learned that his Skeleton journey would be self funded Doyle (who had just finished secondary school) decided to pursue a full-time career as a Garda (a member of the state police force of the Republic of Ireland).

After leaving the Garda in 2015, Doyle decided to take part in the National Senior Track and Field Championships. Whilst he was there, he had a chance encounter with the President of the Irish Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, who remembered Doyle from his earlier training period with the team in 2003. The president told him that the door was still open should Doyle want to give skeleton another go. The following season, Doyle was training with the Irish team in Calgary, Canada.

Doyle, having discovered a natural affinity for the sport, progressed quickly in his skeleton training, and was soon looking to qualify to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. However, after suffering two uncharacteristic crashes in back-to-back races, Doyle missed out on going to the Games by a single point.  

Since then Doyle has won the North American Cup for 2 consecutive seasons, making him the first ever male Irish Athlete to win an overall IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) title. Doyle has also competed in numerous World Cup races and has competed in 4 World Championships.

Future plans:

"I want to promote and pioneer growth in Irish winter sports, and in particular Skeleton. Ireland has a field of talented and robust athletes who I know would be well suited to sliding sports. It would be amazing to see other Irish athletes getting into Skeleton off of the dedication and work myself and Éire have put into the sport so far.

In the future I am keen to become the President of the Irish Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, so that I can help other up and coming athletes overcome barriers I faced as an athlete. 

I would also like to become a coach to help assist not just Irish Skeleton athletes but other small nation athletes. Coaching is a major financial barrier to small nation athletes and I want to make sure this isn't the case forever. I have also really enjoyed working alongside my teammate Éire and it would be an amazing experience to help coach and qualify her for an Olympic games beyond 2026."