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The Jerries

Meet Ireland's Olympic team: Bryan Keane

The 35-year-old Cork man is preparing for his first Games.

Event: Men’s triathlon.

Who is he? A former road cyclist and cross-country runner for Ireland, Keane got into triathlons when in Australia in 2009 and quickly excelled in the multisport discipline under the wing of coach Jamie Turner. Not long afterwards his impressive form saw him grace all three steps of the podium at different ITU events, in five weeks, becoming the first Irish triathlete to do so.

A nasty leg injury in 2010, sustained after being knocked off his bike by a car, took the guts of two years out of his career but he bounced back and soon found his form of old.

Where’s he from? St Luke’s, Cork city.

Olympic CV: This is the 35-year-old’s first Olympics and he will be the oldest in the field for the men’s triathlon.

Road to Rio: Keane qualified for Rio in May in the final race of the qualifying period. The pressure was on in Yokohoma, Japan as Keane was 53rd in the rankings with the top 55 earning qualification for the Games. A finish in 20th position secured his spot at the start line in Brazil as the 50th-ranked athlete.

When does he start? D-day is Thursday 18 August in Copacabana, as you do.

Where can I follow him? On Twitter (@tribryan), and Instagram (tribryan).

What he says: “I remember as a young kid, growing up in Cork, watching the Olympics, and thinking this was the pinnacle of sport. And I still believe that.

“For me it was always about how I could actually achieve it, because it has been something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. So now, 24 years later, to have achieved that goal, to be able to represent my country, is something I’m very, very proud of.” (Irish Times, June 2016)

Medal chances? A medal would appear to be out of reach but he has already proven to be capable of regularly competing with the world’s best. He has set his sights on a finish between 10th and 20th place.

Keane earns himself two out of five Jerries on The42‘s scientifically-developed, patented Jerry Kiernan scale…

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And here’s something you probably didn’t know… Keane was once a successful athlete at Leevale Athletic Club and will be one of four past or present members competing in Rio, alongside Lizzie Lee (women’s marathon), Michelle Finn (women’s 3000m steeplechase), and Alex Wright (men’s 20km and 50km walk).

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Read more of The42′s Team Ireland profiles here >

Meet Ireland’s Olympic team: Sinead Jennings and Claire Lambe >

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