'Lympic Legends #1 : Timmy McCarthy

There is little better in sport than triumph against the odds. From the most unlikely of places, heroes can rise. And of all the improbable heroes of the Olympic Games, a businessman from Gurranabraher, Cork might be the least likely of them all.

Timmy McCarthy enjoyed a successful career in international basketball - as both a player and a coach - but may have found his true calling behind the mike. He shouts, roars and wails through games as though every single one is ‘Tucky v Duke ’92, and suddenly even those who couldn’t tell Kobe Bryant from Kobe beef find Angola v Turkey in the Women’s Group A to be unmissable telly.

Most importantly of all, he does so while mixing up terminology straight from the NBA with an accent as Cork as the Shandon Bells and Tanora. “She’s shaking, she’s baking, she’s shooting, SHE’S SCORING!” would charm even the most cynical of viewers. To miss Timmy is to miss the greatest broadcasts of the ‘Lympics. The finest commentator on the box? Only a right gom wouldn’t fancy a hawk.