BY JJ HURLEY
CATHAL Ryan will step onto the Paralympic stage next month in Paris proudly wearing the green singlet of Ireland that he has worked tirelessly to earn.
Part of a new generation of emerging athletes, Ryan, a 400m sprinter, will compete under the shadow of recently-retired Paralympic legend Jason Smyth, but that's not a mantle that concerns the Ballinhassig athlete.
For Ryan, such comparisons are unrealistic ahead of the Para Athletics World Championships (July 8th-17th), as he told The Southern Star.
'You can't be in someone else's shadow, or think about other people's records. You can only concentrate on yourself and do your best,’ he explained.
Reflecting on what is a massive step for the 22-year-old, a philosophical Ryan said, 'Just being selected is a huge achievement for me. In fact, making the qualification is an enormous step.'
However, despite his comments, no one should underestimate Cathal's determination, who despite acquiring an injury to his left shoulder at birth – restricting movement in his left arm – has in no way limited his ambition.
It's something he says he doesn't think about or has ever considered restricted him from participating in sports.
Previously, Cathal played hurling and football with Ballinhassig, and being unable to strike off his left side on the hurling field was the only drawback, he remarked.
Athletics arrived in his life thanks to his aunt Collette O’Riordan, who brought him to a training session in the CIT running track, and he was smitten.
Initially, he participated under the rules of Athletics Ireland before he was introduced to Cork Rebel Wheelers, an organisation providing sports to young people with disabilities.
From here, he progressed to participate in the discus, javelin and shot put under the rules of the Irish Wheelchair Association, where he not only competed on the international stage but he picked up several annual sports awards for his troubles.
He continued competing in the Athletics Ireland scene, lining out in the West Muskerry AC colours, where his aunt is a coach. With his mother, Ellen, from that part of the world too, he said there was little chance of him running in any other colours but the West Muskerry kit.
By 2019, a medal in the discus at the World Junior Paralympics had left him at a crossroads in his career, as he felt the other athletes were more powerful and physically bigger than him. He decided to switch to the track as he had always remained loyal to sprinting, but it had its challenges, as the lack of balance caused by his left arm was an issue.
However, physiotherapist Mary Gleasure has been invaluable in working with Cathal on the restriction for many years, and the results have been positive. Progress had continued in his new event, having joined the MTU track team when he registered for a Mechanical Engineering course and secured a scholarship.
Currently, he's working towards his level eight degree, where he's presently on placement in Janssen and is grateful to the company for its flexibility as he prepares for the world championships in July.
It has been a tough 12 months, following a disappointing performance in Paris last year, Cathal sat down with James Nolan from Paralympic Ireland and reviewed his performances. The decision was made to switch coaches to Alan O'Mahony, who, along with performance coach Kevin Tattan and nutritionist Even Lynch, has seen Cathal shave two seconds off his PB.
In what now promises to be an exciting career for the T46 athlete, the stiff tests ahead will be met with a determination that Cathal has proven he possesses.
