THE POSITIVE COVID test last Tuesday was a bolt from the blue.
Suddenly, Ellen Keane’s preparations for the World Para Swimming Championships were thrown into disarray.
With Covid-19 protocols easing to almost absence on these shores of late, the 2020 Paralympic gold medallist was readying herself for the return to constant mask wearing and regular antigen testing ahead of a training camp in Fuerteventura this week, and then, the World Championships in Madeira from 12-18 June.
The day the Irish Para swimming team manager dropped off tests for when they were away, Keane tested positive.
“I was feeling fine that day,” she recalls. “I had absolutely no symptoms and then just all of a sudden, I didn’t feel well. I was like, ‘This is really weird.’
“I looked at my coach, and I was like, ‘I better do a test just incase,’ because one of my team-mates was supposed to stay in my house that night. It was just a coincidence that it all lined up and I did the test. As soon as I did the test, I was like, ‘Oooh, okay…’”
I’m working closely (but virtually) with my para team and following the advice from my doctor. I’m hoping to still be able to compete at worlds but ultimately I need to take it easy right now so I don’t risk making myself sicker.
— Ellen Keane PLY💜 (@keane_ellen) May 26, 2022
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Shortly after the dreaded T line lit up, she reached out to the team doctor to get a plan in place. Five days isolation, and then hopefully, two negative tests in-a-row.
Unfortunately, she hasn’t tested negative just yet, so can’t fly with the squad to Fuerteventura tomorrow, but the hope is she’ll join them as soon as possible.
Thankfully, though, and most importantly, she’s feeling quite well, and has taken advantage of the opportunity to rest.
“I’m no too bad,” the 27-year-old notes. “I’m just really tired. I had a few of the symptoms more early on, my body was aching, and I had flu-like symptoms, but I’m okay. It’s just the timing of it is not ideal.
“Having a World Championships in two weeks is not ideal at all. But it’s the world that we live in at the moment. And I guess the only way to really avoid it is to not go outside, which isn’t realistic and isn’t something that you shouldn’t be doing, even for your own mental health. It is what it is, and at least I didn’t catch it in Tokyo — that was my biggest fear. It’s just it’s just one of those things I’ve just had to accept now.
“I was really disappointed, and I am really disappointed, but I’m kind of glad it happened now, rather than abroad, and then you’d be stuck in a hotel room. That’s the worst case scenario.
“I’ve done so well to avoid it for the past two years. Everyone was getting it on Dancing With The Stars, and I literally spent all day with my dance partner face-to-face while he had it, without us knowing he had it, and I still didn’t get it. I think I’m just meant to get it this time around. I’m just taking every day as it comes.”
Reigning Paralympic 100m breaststroke SB8 champion Keane is prioritising recovery over any light training at home, weary of the lack of research around the impact of Covid on athletes and sporting performance.
She is hell-bent on competing at the Worlds, ready to follow the return to sport protocol once she’s started testing negative, stressing she’ll work closely with the physiologist and doctor at camp.
The prospect of not being able to compete isn’t on her radar.
“We haven’t even come to that yet. I haven’t had bad symptoms, so it’s not like I’m struggling to breathe or anything. I am asthmatic, so that would be in the back of my mind a little bit. But I’m actually fine. I guess we won’t really know until I’m back in the pool.
“I do have a tiny little dog who’s very annoying. I’ve had a few walks – I’ve literally been waiting until it’s late in the evening, and I’ve been going to the back arse of nowhere so I don’t run into anyone. I have been outside, doing a few walks, and I don’t feel too bad from that, so I think I’m okay and I think it will go ahead, I will be competing.”
That said, her expectations are certainly curtailed as a result.
“I think if I was to aim for gold, it would be so unrealistic. It is disappointing, not knowing where I’m at and what I am capable of. But I’ve been around for so long that I’m going to be able to fall back into the routine of things, it’s not going to affect me too much.
“I know how to prepare, I’m not going to be doubting myself at all in terms of my routine or anything. My routine and my my race practice is pretty solid. I guess this year, being a post-Olympic and Paralympic year, the kind of pressure is off in terms of… I think every athlete always has their ebbs and flows and definitely post-Games, a lot of people tend to dip a little bit so I guess it’s just a chance to get out there and race and fall in love with racing again. I’m excited to kind of get that routine going again.”
Clontarf native Keane has certainly accepted the card she has been dealt, with excitement taking over, both for herself and the squad — “It’s nearly those those things that knock you down that make you want to go back and make you want to fight harder.”
“Obviously, I’m gonna go out and perform and if I don’t perform to my best or to a standard that I know I’m capable of, I’m not going to question myself because I know my situation.
“It is a chance to be more of a leadership role for my team-mates because there’s a lot of younger team-mates now on the squad. Oh my God, it’s so exciting, they’re so good and I’m so excited to see how they’re gonna get on. Come Paris, these guys are going to be amazing and hopefully we’re going to have a few more podium performances. I actually I can’t wait to see what happens at Worlds because I do believe we’re going to have a few podium performances from other people on the squad.”
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Paralympic gold medallist, Ellen Keane (Swimming) was today announced as a Sports Ambassador for Dublin City Council alongside Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington (Boxing).
The partnership sees DCC teaming up with the two local sports stars to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity in Dublin, while highlighting the importance of a wide and varied sporting infrastructure for a healthy and happy city
As much as I’d love to see more Munster guys involved you can’t really argue too much with his selection. He’s capped a lot of guys over the last two seasons and this group knows the Irish system inside out. Cutting it down agsin is going to be a huge task. The one that irks me is stockdale over Daly. Daly has been so so consistent this season and has improved more than any Munster player this season imo. Still like other world cups there’s going to be a lot of injuries so let’s not write the non selected off yet
@Daithí: Don’t let it irk you too much. Stockdale is a proven quality player at the very highest level. Beset by injuries in recent seasons but showed real form/ fight in the last few months in an Ulster team that were losing. Farrell clearly rewarding that as a fit and firing Stockdale would be a serious asset to this team. Easy to forget he’s still only 27.
@Daithí: There is no place for that kind of measured and sensible comment here!
@Jack McCartie: oh for sure I totally get it, experience at international level is massive. Just thought over the season Daly had been the better player and he’s been in and around the Irish set up so it wouldn’t just be throwing him in there. Saying all that would either of the two be in the 23 ? I don’t think so
@Daithí: Exactly. He has been working with all these players for the past 2 years and he’s been imbedding different structures and systems in place. He’s been developing the likes of Baird, Frawley, Osborne, O’Brien, McCarthy, Prendergast, Stewart for a while now. He’s had a great year with the squad that he has stuck with. He’s hardly going to just drop all of those guys because a few Munster players have been playing well 2 or 3 months out from a World Cup. That would be totally reckless and erratic. Munster fans insisting Loughnan, Barron, Daly, Frisch be included when they’ve hardly ever been in the actual training squads. Like what planet are yous on haha
“Indeed, the selection strengthens the sense that Ireland will go into the World Cup with great cohesion and a confident sense of momentum based on their exploits over the past two seasons. Again, that’s more relevant than how Leinster or Munster have played recently.”
I’d disagree with this. There’s nothing better for momentum than winning. Adding an extra 3/4 of that Munster starting team to the squad would have raised the intensity of that environment in camp a lot I’d say.
First time in a decade there’s some genuine competition between Munster and Leinster and I think the coaches have missed a trick not harnessing that for the next few months, regardless of who they plan to bring on the plance to France.
@ttam 12: Genuinely curious, but who would you add/replace?
@Ruaidhri MagFhloinn: Daly for Earls, Kleyn for Treadwell. And then I’d have just selected Hodnett and Haley as specialists at 7 and 15. Insurance in the camp in case anything happens to JVDF or Keenan before they leave.
I think those 4 have been Munster’s best players this season, along with Nash and Beirne once he came back.
@ttam 12: there’s a long road yet before the squad departs never mind injuries that will undoubtedly occur along the way.
Winning a mickey mouse trophy is obviously not going to change Farrells plans, lets be honest
@Dave Moran: wouldn’t you have liked to win that Mickey Mouse trophy!
@Dave Moran: Ah your back, bit annoyed about Jordan I’d say?
@Dave Moran: well it is a trophy!
@Philyclever@eircom.net: again? Not really. Leinster’s season was a failure for not winning Europe.
@Dave Moran: Better than no trophy.
.. contd
Locks Back Row (10) : Baird, Beirne, Conan, Doris, VDF, O’Mahony, Ryan all certain. So pick 3 from Coombes, Henderson, McCarthy, Prendergast and Treadwell.
Scrum-halves-(3) done and dusted. JGP, Murray and Casey.
Out halves (3) Sexton, Crowley, Byrne
Centres (3) Aki, Henshaw and Ringrose
Back 3 (5) Hansen, Lowe, Keenan and certain. So choose 2 from Stockdale, O’Brien, Osborne, Frawley, Earls(?)
Really not much selections in play if there is no injury!
Team cohesion won the 6N for Ireland and no way was this going to be compromised for WC. Hence the incremental expansion. For a 33 man panel, there are very few open positions – assuming a 19/14 backs/forwards split and 3 needed for specialist positions:
Front row: only Herring/Stewart
Back
@John Morris: I think he goes 18-15 – goes with 8 front rowers with Bealham being versatile
@Owen ODonoghue: unless Furlong sorts his fitness issues, Bealham may well be starting TH!
@John Morris: very true , I’d go 9 front rowers and have Loughman over Kilcoyne, i don’t see Healey starting any games
Shocking shi… from Farrell.