Keane to endure short wait to Rio
Bryan Keane is only one of two triathletes representing Ireland at Rio. At 35, he still thinks he can compete with the best
By Daire Walsh
With the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio now just mere weeks away, Triathlon Ireland athlete Bryan Keane is excited about the prospect of representing his country on the global stage.
The Cork native will compete in the Men’s Triathlon on August 18, and speaking in the Residence Members Club on Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green last week, Keane was thrilled to be able to tell the story of his journey up to this point.
“Yeah, for me, we’re eight weeks away from the race now. 18th August, and it’s beginning to build. Olympics rolls around every four years, and you get to highlight what you do, and you get decent coverage, but now you get a real spotlight on you, and that’s fantastic,” Keane remarked.
“A good opportunity. I’ve got another two training blocks to go before the games, and that’s exciting. There’s more to squeeze out, get yourself in the best possible shape on that start line, so I’m ready to go. You’ve got Ireland on your chest, and you’re ready to represent.”
At 35 years of age, Keane will be one of the most experienced members of Team Ireland in Rio, but even though he receives some gentle ribbing at times from his rival competitors, he still believes that he is capable of competing with the best in his event.
Older
“Yeah, 35 going in, I am an older member of a team. It’s still my first Olympics. A lot of guys that I race against were friends of mine from other countries, and they joke about me being granddad! Gandalf is a name that gets bandied about! The older wizard. I still think though I’m competitive, and I’m looking to race.”
Keane is a relative newcomer to the sport of Triathlon, and as he reveals, it was while living in Australia seven years ago that he first got the feel for the sport that he ultimately stuck with.
“Yeah, 2009. I fell into the sport at Tribes. It was something I actually wanted to start back in 1996. I joined Leevale Athletic Club in Cork, looking to start Triathlon. I got sidetracked with running for a few years, and cycling for a few years, and I finally put everything together.
“I’ve had an incredible sporting journey, I’ve got to represent Ireland in running and in cycling, and I wouldn’t change that.
“Friends that I’ve made along the way, it shaped the journey, where I’m at today and I’ve finally found my home in triathlon. It’s one sport that I’ve stuck with, and I’m very happy with, and it is a fantastic sport.”
Indeed, once Keane discovered the triathlon bug in 2009, he really hit the ground running. He claimed 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes in ITU Cup Racing in the space of five weeks, and he is adamant that beginning his time as a triathlete in Australia has aided his progress to the level that he now finds himself at.
“I’d come in. I started in Australia, the bar was they’re used to having Olympic champs in sport. Had I started here in Ireland, I don’t think I would been on the same trajectory. Over there in Australia, it was really, really good.
“I had a fantastic guy called Jamie Turner, who took me in under his wing and didn’t ask for anything. Didn’t even have to take me in. He coaches Gwen Jorgensen, who’s a current world champ from America. Jamie took me in, and he said ‘come train with us’. Didn’t ask for anything, and I trained with those guys in Triathlon Ireland at the time.”
Keane will not be the only triathlete representing Ireland in Rio, as the Derry-born Aileen Reid is due to take part in the Women’s Triathlon on August 20. Because the sport can become quite insular at times, Keane is pleased to be able to share the journey to the Brazilian capital with Reid.
“It’s really nice to be able to share the journey with someone, and to have a team-mate. Particularly a team-mate from your own sport. That helps a lot. They understand it, they get it. You have a training partner, and you can share these things, as opposed to always being by yourself. When you are by yourself, it can become very, very insular. You can get caught up with things. To have Aileen with me is brilliant.”
Keane hails from the St Luke’s area of Cork City, and after attending the local St Patrick’s National School, he studied at second-level in Presentation Brothers College, Cork. He tried his hand at rugby and swimming he was younger, but it was through his involvement in rowing that he eventually became interested in running – one of the key disciplines in the triathlon.
“I played rugby when I was a little kid, and was terrible at it! Lack of co-ordination. I was swimming as a kid right up until I was 15, and enjoyed the more endurance sports. Fell into rowing for a bit, and it was actually through rowing that I actually got into running.
“One time, when the Munster Champs were on, and they had a cross-country race with it, and you win that and you’re like ‘I kind of like this running thing, I seem to be good at it’.”
Throughout the course of his time in sport, Keane’s parents have proven to be incredibly supportive. His mother worked as a PE teacher, but she was happy to let him pursue his own passions.
“My parents were fantastic. Regardless of what we said we wanted to go do, they supported us. If I said I wanted to do this, go do it. It was never a question, ‘no, you can’t do that’. I saved up money, and I bought a bike.
“They were incredibly supportive, and our parents were fantastic. As long as you were happy, keep doing what you’re doing.”
By reaching the Olympics for the very first time, Keane has already reached a significant target. However, Keane does have certain ambitions for the final race itself, and he sees no reason why he can’t achieve his desired goals.
“I’m going out and I want to go there and represent my country to the best of my ability. On the day, I could finish somewhere between 10 and 20 in the world, and there’s no reason why I can’t do that.
“In the Olympics, I’m racing the same guys that I race week in, week out, so why wouldn’t I do that,” Keane added.