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IGNITE Welcomes World Champion

11 Oct 2019
Rob Heffernan, IGNITE11 & IGNITE12 Cohorts

On Tuesday, 8th October 2019, IGNITE welcomed Bank of Ireland's Youth Ambassador, Rob Heffernan, Olympic and World Race Walking Champion.  

Rob was invited in as a Guest Speaker and spoke with the IGNITE cohorts, sharing some valuable insights into his life and sporting career.

During the conversation, Rob gave the cohorts an insight into key moments in his life and the journey he embarked on to become a world class athlete and the challenges he faced along the way.

During his sporting career, he experienced highs and lows and being able to have the strength to overcome some particularly tough times led him to achieving great things. Rob was crowned World 50km Race Walking Champion at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, becoming Ireland’s third ever gold medallist at World Championship level. He currently holds eight national records on the track and road including his national 50km record he set on route to placing fourth at the London 2012 Olympics. 

Rob emphasised the importance of building a strong support network around him and having those key people believe in him helped him through the highs and especially the lows. Perseverance, resilience and determination are key characteristics of a World and Olympic Champion like Rob and this is clearly reflected in his life achievements.

These particular characteristics also resemble characteristics of entrepreneurs and the ability to persevere through the highs and lows of starting a business and having the right mindset to persist. It shows the importance of surrounding yourself with the right network and supports to help you progress.

Upon Rob’s departure, there was a vibrant spark of motivation and self-belief in IGNITE's emerging entrepreneurs.

IGNITE UCC

Clár Gnó Iarchéime IGNITE

Western Gateway Building, University College Cork

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