Niall O’Toole competed in the men’s single sculls at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games – forced to compete in the heavyweight category despite being a specialist lightweight sculler, at a considerable disadvantage, because the lightweight category was not introduced to the Olympic programme until 1996. World lightweight single sculls champion in 1991, O’Toole also held world under-23 titles from 1989 (Amsterdam) and 1990 (Linz). His preparation for Barcelona was ravaged by illness that began after the 1991 World Championships when he contracted debilitating jaundice. He recovered to complete a January training camp in Greece and later attended an altitude training camp in Mexico. A planned altitude camp and the Lucerne regatta were both missed after he contracted a virus at a training camp in Germany.

He travelled to Barcelona in hope more than confidence. In the opening round he finished last, almost 45 seconds behind the eventual silver medallist Václav Chalupa of Czechoslovakia. O’Toole had no doubts about the performance: ‘It was the worst championship performance of my career. When I pressed the button inside myself for more effort, there was absolutely nothing there.’ He bravely continued through the repechage, consolation semi-final and D final, ultimately finishing 21st out of 22 competitors.

Even at full fitness he would have been the second-lightest competitor in the event. He was the first of a new generation of top-quality Irish lightweight rowers who achieved unprecedented major-event success between 1990 and 2005, and later competed at the Athens 2004 Games in the lightweight double sculls alongside Brendan Dolan.