The late starters aiming to write fairytales in Paris

Practice makes perfect - but it does not necessarily make Olympians.

At the very sharpest end of competitive sport, success is in the genes.

They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in a particular field, however no amount of sprints will compensate for a lack of fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Are gold medallists born or made? Both, probably, and over the next couple of weeks we will marvel at these supreme athletes as they chase their dreams in Paris.

Lifetimes have been dedicated to their quests for glory. And while the majority of us can't even fathom how good you have to be to grace this stage, there is one particular strain of competitor that is distinctly impressive: the late starter.

Not all of Ireland's representatives have specialised in their chosen fields since they were barely out of the crib. Some have come to their sports in their late teens or even 20s; albeit possessing the common trait of outstanding natural sporting ability that's allowed them to adapt and excel exceptionally quickly.

These are the 'good at everything' people we all envy.

There's Megan Armitage, who went from playing hockey and doing some casual running to becoming a top-class marathoner while studying Law and French in UCD. Without any formal coaching, she finished third in the Cork City Marathon.

The 28-year-old Offaly woman only took up cycling seriously during Covid-19 lockdown, when an injury hampered her running training. Armitage's progress has been sensational. After graduating, she competed in Belgian kermesses (a style of road race) and then in 2021 earned a runner-up finish at National Championships.

Last year Armitage became the first Irishwoman to win a UCI-ranked stage race with her general classification victory