While we admired the Olympians from the comfort of our couches this August, Vanderbilt senior student Madison Corcoran was in the Olympic Village competing in the slalom canoe event for Team Ireland.
Corcoran, who first began canoeing at age five, began training in slalom canoeing at age 11 on the Potomac River in her home state of Maryland. She and her sister, Michaela, followed in their father’s footsteps, as he competed in the sport for Team Ireland in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.
After high school, Corcoran spent a year in Slovenia, a hub for slalom canoeing. She placed 34th in her Irish debut at the 2021 European Championships and 52nd at the Slalom Canoe World Championships a year later.
Corcoran qualified for Ireland’s Olympic team in September 2023 after placing 23rd at the European Games in London, where she was studying abroad. Her twin sister, Michaela, a student at Miami University who was also aiming for the Olympics, did not initially qualify to join Corcoran in Paris. However, three weeks before the Paris Olympics, Michaela’s coach informed her that a spot had opened up, allowing the sisters to head to the Olympics together.
You might be wondering: What is slalom canoeing? Corcoran explained that the sport involves paddling a canoe through a whitewater course. To succeed, competitors must navigate through a series of gates in the water in a specific order.
“You don’t get to practice the exact combination of gates before a round,” Corcoran said. “It’s quite challenging because it requires both mental and technical skills.”
Corcoran’s father, Mike Corcoran, is initially from Glasnevin, Ireland, which led him to be a member of the Irish slalom canoe Olympic team in his youth and later led his daughters along a similar path.
“My dad grew up there and has family connections,” Corcoran said. “[Competing for Ireland] is a sentimental thing for us.”
In the Olympic Village, Corcoran said she had the chance to see some of the world’s greatest athletes, including Simone Biles, Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz. She shared that the biggest surprise was how short Biles is in person. And before you ask, yes, Corcoran did try the chocolate muffins in the Village.
“They serve them all day,” Corcoran said. “They’re really good. Definitely not overhyped.”
Corcoran described her performance at her first Olympic Games as “not ideal,” noting a mistake in one of her heats that prevented her from advancing to later rounds. Still, she is proud of herself and her sister for making it to the 2024 Olympic Games, which had been a major goal of hers.
“The first Olympic Games is for the experience, and it often takes a second try to perform well,” Corcoran said.
When asked if she plans to compete in the Olympics again, Corcoran said this is her first semester back since fall 2022, so she plans to focus on her classes at Vanderbilt, where she is pursuing a degree in psychology.
“Our community is quite small and close-knit, so races are always fun. The LA Olympics sound exciting because they’re in my home country,” Corcoran said. “Seeing my friends and teammates compete makes me want to get back into it.”
Corcoran’s dedication and passion for her sport have made her an inspiration to the nation of Ireland and her fellow Commodores at the 2024 Paris Olympics. As she says, she’s not done yet.
