LAST SUNDAY MICHAEL Bowler headed up from Enniscorthy to watch some old friends take on Kilkenny in the Leinster senior hurling final at Croke Park.
Bowler had enough on his plate to justify skipping the final but he’s glad now he made the trip up.
On Thursday he flies out to Ribeira Brava, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, to represent Ireland in the European Combined Events Team Championship, taking place this weekend.
The decathlete is looking forward to picking up another Irish cap, but his focus will quickly turn then to preparing for the Irish Life Health National Seniors in Santry’s Morton Stadium at the end of July.
Taking time out to chat after the Model County’s fine win over Brian Cody’s side, Bowler said he was glad to take time out to see his friends and former teammates land a first provincial title for the county since 2004.
Back in 2011, the Duffry Rovers clubman played a part in delivering another historic title for his county – the Leinster U21 football title – and was part of the panel that overcame Longford by just one point in an exciting final.
In doing so Bowler and his teammates took the Seamus Flood Cup back to the south-east for the first time ever.
They had previously contested four finals with no success. Bowler was part of a squad that also featured Matthew O’Hanlon, Liam Og McGovern and Emmet Kent.
He also played youths soccer with Lee Chin.
“And it was great to see all of those lads achieve their goals on Sunday,” he says.
“Especially Liam Og [McGovern] after what he has overcome. That would serve as an inspiration for anyone.”
After recovering from hip surgery and two ruptured cruciate ligaments, McGovern’s story is an inspiration for anyone involved in sport.
And as Bowler prepares for this weekend’s European event, and the Irish Life Health Seniors in a few weeks, he says you could not be but inspired by hearing his story – and watching the Wexford hurlers sticking to their game plan through thick and thin.
“A lot of the work I do is away from the gym and the track,” Bowler says.
I work hard at mindfulness, visualisation, eating properly and ensuring every step of the technique is taken care of.
“Trust, technique and repetition are key and the Wexford boys would know that too.
Once that is sorted you get confidence. I would feel that confidence is something that the Wexford hurlers had been lacking for a few years. But not anymore.”
Bowler, 27, competes out of Enniscorthy AC, and was named 2018 Athlete of the year at the annual Wexford Athletics awards last winter.
When he was younger, he took advantage of the family farm – and local amenities to train, making a high jump mat out of bags of hay, and pole vaulting onto mattresses no longer required by the nearby St John’s Hospital.
After spending some years at DCU, he has spent the past few years in the UK studying physiotherapy and ended his college days by winning the 2018 British University championships last May.
That result, along with a second-place finish in the UK Decathlon championships, with a P.B. of 7,263 points, made it a successful year.
Bowler also ended the year as number one Irish decathlete and number eight on the all-time Irish decathlete list.
“I’m currently ranked number two,” he says. “I want to get the number one ranking back.
You always need a target because competing is about the journey as much as the results,” Bowler, now working as a physio in Kilkenny, says.
The Wexford man is currently combining 30 hours work a week with his own training, preparation and travel and says that he has to pay exceptionally close attention to prepping food and resting, in order to perform to his best.
He will compete in the pole vault event at the Irish Life Health National Seniors but this weekend sees him in decathlon territory with the Irish team.
“There are events where I am strong and events that I need to work harder at,” he says.
But that’s where the visualisation comes in. I can try to pre-empt some stuff that might go wrong and then hopefully revert immediately to my technique during an event if something goes wrong because I have already imagined it beforehand.
“It’s important to work at the stuff just as much as the training.
“It’s important too to watch the body. I have seen the attrition GAA players go through and the injuries there – but it’s worst for athletes. It’s regular wear and tear and often on hard surfaces.
I still have big dreams. I would love to do well this weekend. Do well at the nationals at the end of July and, though it might be a bit late for me, I would love to make the Olympics and be part of the Irish team heading to Tokyo.
“But I do know that I might be a bit far on. When I was younger, as I said, I had to improvise with my training. The facilities were not there at local level. I would love to see Wexford unite as a whole when it comes to improving athletics and work close together – that’s the only way you can achieve things.
“And when I am finished competing, I would like to help out and make sure that young athletes coming through get every chance.
“For me, though, I compete in a very technical event and it was really only when I went to DCU and university in the UK that I had facilities and technical support that I needed.
That may have come too late in life for me to make Olympic level, but it is certainly in my mind to give it every best shot.”
A stellar college career also saw Bowler come third in the 2018 British Universities pole vault with a P.B. of 475cm, which put him in a great position to subsequently take the senior Irish pole vault title at last year’s event.
Retaining that title – plus another good showing in Madeira this weekend would leave him right up there competing with the Wexford hurlers for this year’s sports star awards later in the winter.
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This guy is completely overratted
@jay bernard: don’t know how he warrants a contract of that size given his achievements in the game. He needs to start scoring regularly especially if the Wissam Ben Yedder rumours are true. WBY is a real fox in the box, Deschamps really rates him.
Best goal tally for 21 and under in the EPL, La Liga & Seria A in what was a shocking season under two different managers. 200k going to 300k based on incentives. Manchester born and bred. He’ll turn out to be some player yet
An absolute joke.
It’s 200k a week max as per Simon Stone – reliable United journo
@Brian: and you think that even £200,000 is acceptable for a player that scored 10 league goals last season. He’s English!!! He has been overhyped and overrated since they Day he broke into the first team by the British press, £200,000 per week for a very average player that would be more suited to playing for a team like Newcastle, Everton or Southampton. Mid table player at best, that shouldn’t be earning anything over 100,000 never mind 200,000 or 300,000.
@Devilsavocado: And eventually he will be destroyed by the British press too, I wish Utd would sell him on now
Beans Beans Beans
@Alan Brazil: is all you eat. Stand well back!
The club is a circus. Run by clowns who aren’t football men
@munsterman: and if you look at the nonsense that ich bin Brendan has been scribbling up there, it seems they are supported by a few clowns as well…..
@Devilsavocado: haha! G!mp
@Ich bin brendan: come on,, seriously mate, you really don’t believe the nonsense that you were writing in your previous posts do you?? There isn’t a club that finished in the top 5 above Utd that the lad would get into as a first team player. Not a single club that will be in the champions league next year had a bit of interest in buying him, he’s at best a bench player for Utd, but a 200,000 a week bench player??? WTF is going on at Utd that they offered that much money to him?? Where else was he going to go, they easily could have halved that and even then he should still consider himself lucky to be wearing the Utd jersey,, come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this….
@Devilsavocado: quit looking for validation. I’ll correct myself in that he didn’t score v pool in their 3-1 spanking but everything stated is fact inc. turning the best rb inside out and scoring in every debut. Barcelona were being touted as making an official approach, how much of that is being true is as truthful to say not a single team were, it would take a team of that stature to pull a local lad away from his local team. Apart from Kane for Spurs there isn’t a top 5 team that would produce an academy player like him. 200,000K is daft money but that’s the state of the club atm, not many want the Glazers there but that’s what they’re working with. I’m delighted he’s there for another 4 yrs, he’s got the wage now it’s upto him to start earning it, I believe he will.
@Ich bin brendan: ok fair enough, you have your opinion on the matter and people that actually know a bit about football have there’s. Let’s be honest here, I doesn’t matter that your opinion is obviously that of a delusional fan that can’t look at things without your fan glasses on but that’s ok,, we will leave it there and I’ll let you get back to your colouring book and crayons, there’s a good boy,, don’t stay up to late… :) validate myself, ha ha ha ha ha..
@Devilsavocado: “that actually know a bit about football” you have me stumped, you’ve trouble validating your opinionated drivel. “Ha ha ha” like I said before, G!mp
He’s got to start delivering on his promise . A lot of cash for a man still not scoring regularly but he does have the potential to be an absolute world class player I just hope he does start getting 30 odd goals a season .
On his debut he’s scored 2 in the EPL, same in his Europa, 1 Champions league and on his derby debut. Also turned the best rb in the country inside out to score against their biggest rivals, with the golden glove winner in goal!
@Ich bin brendan: can throw in his debut in the EFL & FA Cup as well. So every cup comp available to him. Calling him over rated is being bias, he’s proven he’s capable, needs consistency with age.
Reminds me of Ian Rush
His nose is offside
Even as a man utd fan, I think he doesn’t deserve this, prove your worth then get the money, he didn’t prove anything last season to deserve half this money.