Biography
Started: He took up the sport at age 12 and then joined the University College Dublin table tennis club in Ireland. (Athlete, 20 Aug 2021; caracentre.ie, 30 Aug 2019; paralympic.org, 23 Apr 2018)
Reason: He originally tried wheelchair rugby at St Michael's College [a secondary school in Dublin, Ireland] before switching focus to table tennis. "It's a big rugby school and a lot of my friends would have been playing rugby so the first sport that I tried out was wheelchair rugby. That was actually a lot of fun and it made me realise that I definitely needed a sport. Getting involved in sport at an early age wasn't easy. My disability made lots of sports unsuitable for me and it took me a long time to find the right one. I started playing table tennis around age 13 and never looked back since then. It was the only sport that I could beat my brother at so I stuck with it. By the age of 16, I was representing UCD [University College Dublin] in able-bodied competitions all around Ireland and my table tennis continued to go from strength to strength." (dublinlive.ie, 18 Oct 2023; gofundme.com, 01 Dec 2023; caracentre.ie, 30 Aug 2019)
Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (gofundme.com, 01 Dec 2023)
Awards: He and athletics competitor Orla Comerford were named as Ireland's flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (irishcentral.com, 16 Aug 2024)
Additional Info: CAREER ON HOLD
He has worked as an actuarial analyst and as a marketing science analyst. He put his career on hold to focus on table tennis ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, something he also did before the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "I made a decision to put my career on hold and follow an intense plan of competitions and training abroad. I'm completely committed to table tennis. I said when I lost out in Tokyo that I wanted to leave no stone unturned for Paris 2024." (LinkedIn profile, 02 Feb 2024; gofundme.com, 01 Dec 2023; dublinlive.ie, 18 Oct 2023; punditarena.com, 23 Mar 2021; the42.ie, 27 Mar 2021)
Frequently Asked Questions
Personal Details
GenderMale
Birth DateApril 5, 1995
Place of ResidenceDUBLIN
OccupationAthlete, Motivational Speaker
EducationFinance - University College Dublin, Ireland
Languages SpokenEnglish, Spanish
CoachSam Logue
Highlights
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paralympic Games | ||||
| 9 | Singles - Class 3 | 2020 | Tokyo, JPN | |
| World Championships | ||||
| 9 | Singles - Class 3 | 2022 | Granada, ESP | |
| 9 | Singles - Class 3 | 2018 | Lasko, SLO | |
| European Championships | ||||
| 3 | Singles - Class 3 | 2023 | Sheffield, GBR | |
