Ramelton athlete Kieran Murray has done it again.
On the final day of competition today at the 10th European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships in Cagliari, Kieran scooped another medal.
This brings his haul from the championships to four.
Kieran won a bronze medal in the 800m sprint this morning.
In addition to his success today earlier in the week Kieran won the Gold in the Golf event, Silver in the 1500m sprint yesterday and Bronze in the 5km mini- marathon.
Following the 800m sprint Kieran said, “I am delighted with my medal and indeed the medal haul I achieved throughout the week, it has without a doubt exceeded my expectations. Being here is a huge honour in itself so to bring home any medal is a success for me.
“A big thank you to Milford AC for supporting me and putting me through my paces in the lead up to the Games and to my family and friends for all of their support back home. Indeed, I would also like to thank my donor who is always in my thoughts.”
Kieran was among an Irish team of 23 athletes who competed amongst transplant and dialysis athletes from 25 nations at the week-long games.
A homecoming reception for Transplant Team Ireland will take place at Dublin airport’s arrivals hall (Terminal 1) when the team arrives home on a Eurowings flight from Dusseldorf tomorrow, Sunday 24th June around 3.15pm.
Kieran also took part in the men’s 4x100m relay today along with fellow Team Ireland athletes James Nolan (Kildare), Pat O’Sullivan (Cork) and Ronald Grainger (Castleknock, Dublin).
While the team did not secure a medal, they put in an excellent performance on the track and showed brilliant team spirit, finishing their week on a high.
The Irish team of 23 athletes are all looking forward to attending the Gala Dinner tonight in Hotel Setar in Cagliari where they will celebrate a week of success, fun and friendship.
The Irish team of 10 women and 13 men ranging in age from 31 to 80 and includes 20 athletes who underwent kidney, pancreas or liver transplants as well 3 dialysis patients.
The team are competing amongst competitors from 25 nations which for the first time in the Championships history includes Russia and Kazakhstan. The European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships are a celebration of life and showcase the value of sport and regular physical activity for people on dialysis and transplant recipients.
The European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships are open to all kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, bone marrow transplant recipients as well as dialysis patients. The multi-sport event includes athletics, badminton, cycling, darts, golf, mini marathon, petanque, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ten pin bowling, virtual triathlon and the hosts have also added archery and surf-casting. Athletes are divided into six age groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+). Swimming and track and field bring the sporting specialties total to 39.
The Irish Kidney Association is looking forward to bringing the biennial European Games back to Ireland in 2020 after it successfully hosted the 6th European Transplant & Dialysis Games in Dublin in 2010 which attracted over 500 participants and supporters from 23 countries.
