We sat down with Ellen Keane to chat about her sporting story so far, from her earlier memories to finishing with a flourish at Paris 2024.
In this instalment of our Women in Sport series, Paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane tells her sporting story so far, from her earlier memories to finishing with a flourish at Paris 2024.
That’s why I take my responsibility as a role model for kids in terms of being an athlete so seriously. Visibility means that kids get to see it, so for me, it’s all about taking every opportunity to put your story out there, you never know who you’re going to inspire. Yes and no. I guess there’s always going to be that bias that exists within all of us that men’s sport is more interesting and entertaining than women’s. But that’s only because women haven’t been given the opportunity. I’m not a football fan, but I love watching the women’s national squad because I find them so entertaining. What Sky has done to promote them, and showing everyone who they are, has made people pay attention.
You’ve got the World Championships in August and Paris 2024 to train for, what is your main goal ahead of your retirement? With swimming, you’re putting on a racing suit that takes maybe 20 minutes to put on, it’s like the tightest Spanx you can imagine, so going to the bathroom is already a pain. I plan the exact times I’m going to eat things so that I can know what times I’ll need to go to the bathroom. The worst things about being a swimmer are probably putting on the racing suit, and then when you finish the race, you have to cool down to get all the waste products out of your body.
The biggest thing that my ADHD diagnosis has given me was that it allowed me to forgive myself for certain things.
Ellen Keane Paralympics Paralympians
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'I know I can go faster tonight' - Ellen Keane makes bright start to Paralympic title defenceThe Tokyo gold medallist finished joint first in her Women’s SB8 100m Breaststroke heat.
Read more »
Paralympic Games: Ellen Keane confident of rapid progress for Friday night’s 100m breaststroke finalThe 29-year-old faces stiff competition for a medal in her fifth Paralympics
Read more »
Paralympics Day 2 live updates: Ellen Keane gets her final Games under way in the poolNine Irish athletes are in action on Friday with medals on offer in both track cycling and the pool
Read more »
Paralympic Breakfast: Ellen Keane among Ireland's medal hopefuls on Day 2Róisín Ni Riain also returns to the pool.
Read more »
Ellen Keane eager to make a big splash for Ireland in her final Paralympic GamesTokyo gold medallist has proved an inspirational trailblazer in the pool since her debut at the 2008 Games in Beijing
Read more »
The Kilkenny Paralympian training for Paris online in her backyardMary Fitzgerald is gearing up for her second Paralympic Games.
Read more »