Athletes very happy to win medals at championships
By Aideen O'Flaherty
TWO athletes from Tallaght earned an impressive haul of medals at this year’s European Transplant and Dialysis Sports Championships (ETDSC) in Italy, and enjoyed a jubilant homecoming celebration in the arrivals hall of Dublin Airport on Sunday, June 24.
Verina Borissova, who is originally from Bulgaria and now lives in Glenview, was a first-time competitor in this year’s games and she secured a gold medal in the darts singles, a bronze medal in the petanque singles and a bronze medal in ten-pin bowling.
Verina Borissova heading for Gold in Darts single
Seasoned competitor Lenny Ryan, who is from Tymonville, won a silver medal in the petanque singles and a bronze medal in bowling.
Lenny Ryan
Both competitors, who competed for Ireland in the championships, are organ transplant recipients.
Lenny has received two kidney transplants, one in May 2008 and a second in December 2014, while Verina received a combined kidney and pancreas transplant in 2005, however, after five years her kidney transplant failed and she now undergoes dialysis treatment three times a week while on a waiting list for a new kidney.
Speaking about her success at the championships, Verina told The Echo: “[Winning the medals] was very unexpected, but I’m very happy.
“It was a team effort, and they supported me all the way.
“It was very rewarding.”
The 10th European Transplant and Dialysis Sports Championships were held in Cagliari, Italy from June 17 to June 24, and were open to all kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas and bone marrow transplant recipients, and dialysis patients.
