Quick Facts
Biography
Olive Loughnane (born 14 January 1976) is an Irish retired race walker. She is the 2009 world champion in the 20 km walk.
Career
Loughnane competed at four Olympic Games (2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012) and six consecutive editions of the World Championships in Athletics. She won a gold medal at the 2009 World Championships after the disqualification of the original gold medallist for a drug offence. As of December 2016, Loughnane had not received the prize money.
Loughnane failed to finish the walk at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. She had a win on the 2011 World Race Walking circuit at the Dudinska Patdesiatka in March 2011.
Loughnane announced her retirement in February 2013.
Personal life
Loughane was born in 1976 in County Cork, the eldest of seven children. She moved to Carrabane, County Galway with her family when she was a child. She currently lives in Coachford, Cork with her husband Martin Corkery and their three children. She is a graduate of NUI Galway.
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Ireland | |||||
| 1999 | World Race Walking Cup | Mézidon-Canon, France | 91st | 20 km | 1:48:04 |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 35th | 20 km | 1:38:23 |
| 2001 | European Race Walking Cup | Dudince, Slovakia | 26th | 20 km | 1:36:50 |
| World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 13th | 20 km | 1:35:24 | |
| 2002 | European Championships | Munich, Germany | 13th | 20 km | 1:33:08 |
| World Race Walking Cup | Torino, Italy | — | 20 km | DNF | |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 12th | 20 km | 1:30:53 |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | — | 20 km | DNF |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | — | 20 km | DQ |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 17th | 20 km | 1:36:00 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 7th | 20 km | 1:27:45 |
| World Race Walking Cup | Cheboksary, Russia | 6th | 20 km | 1:29:17 | |
| 2009 | European Race Walking Cup | Metz, France | 4th | 20 km | 1:34:52 |
| World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 1st | 20 km | 1:28:58 | |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | — | 20 km | DNF |
| 2011 | European Race Walking Cup | Olhão, Portugal | — | 20 km | DQ |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 16th | 20 km | 1:34:02 | |
| 2012 | World Race Walking Cup | Saransk, Russia | 8th | 20 km | 1:31:32 |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 13th | 20 km | 1:29:39 | |