World champion Ceola has axe to grind after wrong anthem gaffe
SLIGO woman Ceola McGowan revealed this week she had an axe to grind with organisers when they played the wrong anthem as she was recently crowned a winner at the World DoubleBit Axe throwing Championships in Canada. Despite the anthem gaffe Ceola was delighted to win, and being a pragmatic person at the best of times, she has vowed to bring a copy of the Irish national anthem with her to future world events to ensure Amhran na bhFiann gets played.
Ceola, from Grange, was in Nova Scotia competing in the finals and had beaten off stiff competition when the presentation ceremony mix-up happened.
Ceola, 31, explained: “I was up on the podium and as they presented the silver and bronze medals, I was mentally preparing to belt out Amhran na bhFiann but as they hung the medal on me this music started up that I had never heard before.
“I was like ‘WTF is that?’ and only when I spotted a friend of mine from Wales laughing and waving his arms in the air did I realise it was the Welsh anthem.”
Ceola, who also has a passion for pole dancing, has been described as the ‘pole dancing axe thrower’ a novel description, but it’s a fair description as she loves both activities and cites the pole dancing as giving her the confidence to try axe throwing.
A three-time Irish Open winner, this time last year she represented Ireland in the German Open, where she won the double-bit axe throwing event, as well as best international thrower for both women and men, while also coming first in the international team event for men and women.
Ceola has already collected numerous prizes for her prowess in a sport she only found out existed in 2018.
She also won the Irish Opens held in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with Galway due to host the 2022 Irish Open.