Paralympian Ellen Keane: ‘For the first time in my life I don’t know what the future is, so it’s a bit scary’

Paralympian Ellen Keane is gearing up for Paris's Games in August. Photo: Nina Val

Liadán Hynes

Ellen Keane (29) swam in the 2008 ­Beijing Paralympic Games when she was 13 years old. In 2021, she won gold in the 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. In 2024 she published her first book, the memoir ‘Perfectly Imperfect’, and will compete in the Paris Paralympic Games which begins on August 28. ​

I’ve always been a water baby. I just felt so free in the water. I was always so hyper and so giddy as a child. Even today, if I get into water, just for a float, I’ll feel so much calmer afterwards.​