With virtually blanket coverage of the Olympics it can be hard to find interviews that stand out or last in the memory.
There have been plenty of interviews with athletes fighting back the tears as a result of either success or failure and many where bland responses have offered little insight into their achievement or their personality.
But in Rio one duo stand at the top of the podium for providing gold-medal-deserving interviews.
Take a bow Gary and Paul O’Donovan who not only won Ireland’s first ever Olympic medal in rowing but also became overnight social media stars.
The brothers, who won silver in the lightweight double sculls, have seen several of their media interviews go viral, gaining them mainstream media coverage around the world.
In our media training courses we often tell delegates to be themselves in interviews and to try to relax; Paul and Gary certainly come across as being very natural and at ease in front of the camera.
And while their irreverent approach is clearly not suitable for all interview situations there is much to be admired about the way they have approached the media interest and allowed their characters to come through.
Rather than deliver the clichés adopted by many sport stars the O’Donovan brothers appear to see each question as an opportunity to deliver an off-the-cuff anecdote or example about the life of a competitor in Rio.
For instance, when they appeared on RTÉ they were asked to reflect on what had happened in the few hours since their medal winning triumph.
Paul said: “I had to do this doping control thing so I was there for an hour or two trying to take a pee in to a cup. After about 10 litres of water as well – I’m a bit full up now to be honest.”
His brother added: “He was busy there and I was running around having a great time, signing autographs and taking pictures.”
Asked to describe what rowing is like, Paul said: “It isn’t too complex really. A to B as fast as you can go and hope for the best. Close the eyes and pull like a dog.”
They have also delivered memorable sound bites, another key ingredient of media interview success. Talking about reaching the final, Gary said: “We had a cracker of a race there. I think the race could have almost anything you could want from any race.”
Humour in media interviews needs to be treated carefully, but sport provides more opportunities to use it than most and the O’Donovan brothers have been taking full advantage.
When approached for an interview by the BBC they quipped ‘we’ll have to be careful what we say to these lads’.
And when they were told by the RTÉ presenter about the celebrations in Ireland, Gary responded: “A pity we’re missing the whole thing out here.” And his brother added: “They’re all in the pub back home and Skibbereen’s (rowing club) after closing everything down and having a national holiday and we’re missing it all.”
The O’Donovan brothers appear to have been unfazed by the media interest that has come their way, and rather than view it as an irritation they have embraced it.
And they even have an answer for that.
Paul said: “We spent so long together the past year and people think in interviews we are a great craic. We are just excited that we have other people to talk to apart from ourselves.”
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