IRISH SWIMMING PARALYMPIC champion Ellen Keane says there should be equal respect for Olympians and Paralympians after speaking about occasions when her lane was taken up by lessons during her training time.
Keane has just recently returned home from the Tokyo Paralympics, where she produced a stunning performance to clinch gold in the SB8 100m breaststroke final. Her exceptional effort to edge out New Zealand rival Sophie Pascoe saw the Clontarf swimmer land Team Ireland’s first medal of the Tokyo Games, clocking a personal best time of 1.19.93.
The 26-year-old prevailed despite her goggles filling up with water when she dived in for the final. Speaking the day after an “emotional” homecoming in Clontarf, Keane says she reflects on that mishap as a “blessing in disguise” as it sharpened her focus and protected her from getting distracted by her competitors.
It’s been a long journey for Keane, who has finally clinched a gold medal in what was her fourth Paralympic Games. Like many athletes, she had Covid-induced interruptions to navigate, as well as difficulties with access to her swimming lane when she was trying to train.
“It’s really exciting and I just hope the amount of support we’ve had throughout the Games will continue,” Keane replies when asked about Team Ireland’s overall performance in Tokyo which yielded four golds medals, two silvers and a bronze.
“I know there are some people… me for example, I have had difficulty getting access to the pool at times whereas the Olympians have complete access whenever they need it.
“I kind of hope now, with this gold medal, it gives me a bit more respect. There have been times when I go training, my lane has been given to lessons. It’s just so frustrating and thankfully I don’t have to deal with it too much because my coach fights my corner a lot of the time. And my coach is fighting for all the other Para athletes and Para swimmers to have access to the pool.
“But it shouldn’t be a fight. It should be equal respect for us and the Olympians.”
Elaborating on Keane’s struggles with access, she explains that there is no High Performance Centre for Para athletes in Ireland. This means she must train with a club.
Her coach is Dave Malone, who won a S8 100m backstroke gold medal for Ireland at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000. The Performance Director for Paralympics Ireland also coaches fellow Irish Paralympic swimmers Nicole Turner and Patrick Flanagan.
“Dave is my coach,” explains Keane, “but he’s also the coach of a club so if I want to work with Dave, the best case scenario is for me to join the club. But even like a week out from us flying over, we were in the 25m diving pool and then other athletes had access to the 50m pool with blocks, lanes and all of that.
“It is very frustrating to know that we’re the ones winning medals and we’re not getting the access. Even during lockdown, the facility was closed so it was only open to High Performance athletes.
“We were given access to the pool once a day whereas the Olympians were given access to the pool twice a day. And we need to do just as much work as them so it is very frustrating. I wouldn’t know the ins and outs of it, thankfully, because my coach does all that and has all those fights to try and get us access.
“That’s why that medal means so much because he’s worked so hard the past year, and Hayley Burke has done so much to make sure we have access to the pool and that we’re able to train.”
Keane admits that she is still trying to grasp the full scale of her achievement. She was always aware of where her ability could take her, and in Tokyo, she finally executed the swim that could secure a top-podium finish for her.
“It was more like when I came back and saw everyone’s reaction and how much it meant to everyone else, especially my family,” she says.
“That’s what I love about it, and I love the fact that I’m able to use this medal to inspire other people to keep going, because I’ve been around for a long time and I’ve never won a Paralympic gold medal.
“On my fourth games, I finally did it so it’s just a great example of what can happen if you don’t give up, if you really know what you’re capable of deep down, just keep going. You’ll get there in the end.”
Allianz Ireland has been a proud partner of Paralympics Ireland since 2010 and has partnered with brand ambassador Ellen Keane for five years. Allianz congratulates Ellen on her remarkable performance winning gold in the SB8 100-metre breaststroke final.
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