Tully had to fight for her Paris dream

Kearney, a 10-time world champion, won S5 100m freestyle gold and 200m silver but suffered a head injury last year that left her in an 18-month battle to make the start line in Paris.

She had to give up her Masters degree and lost all motivation for training, the specialist team at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital key in helping the 27-year-old get back on the blocks. “After the accident I had a really complex concussion syndrome,” said Kearney, from Aldridge. “I hadn’t realised just how serious it was, it seemed quite trivial but I’m more at risk because of my pre-existing brain injury.

“Because of vertigo I also couldn’t train and that’s what hit me hardest – the pool was always my happy place and that really impacted my mental health too.

“I had to push through it and learn how to get that enjoyment back in training and competing.”

Kearney’s road to Paris was made more difficult when she was reclassified by World Para Swimming earlier this year, placing her in an event featuring less-impaired athletes than those she has been racing against previously.

She was humiliated and insulted by the process, which she claimed almost broke her spirit, her appeal successful in remaining in the S5 category for athletes with cerebral palsy.

Stories of Paralympic resilience is the norm here in Paris, but Kearney’s is worth telling – eight years ago she was told never to swim again while a shoulder injury meant she couldn’t make her debut in Rio, despite being selected.

“There are many times that I’ve thought my dream was over that I’d never get to the Paralympics,” she said. “To finally win that gold medal in Tokyo was the realisation of so many hours of hard work and the support of all my friends and family.”

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