Golfer John excited ahead of the Special Olympics World Games

A KNOCKLYON golfer will be on the upswing when he competes in the Special Olympics World Games in Germany next week.

John Keating, who is a past pupil of Terenure College, is a seasoned competitor having previously won gold at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Growing up, he would occasionally play golf with his brother, but it didn’t become a passion in his life until 2017, when he joined the Elm Park Golf Club’s Special Olympics team.

John was already familiar with the Special Olympics as he had volunteered at the games in Athens and LA, but joining the golf club set in motion his trajectory as a skilled competitor.

“Golfing means everything to him, he’s happy and less frustrated,” said John’s mother, Grainne Keating.

Pink ladies from Delaney’s who fundraised €7,000 for Special Olympics presented the cheque to John

“He had been finding life very difficult, he’d lost his brother and he was not in a happy place, but the golf changed that.”

Last Monday, John jetted off to Dusseldorf in advance of the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony, which will take place in Berlin this Saturday and he will then compete the following week.

He’s one of two competitors on the Special Olympics Ireland golf team who will be competing in 18- hole competitions.

“Whilst John’s excited, he was relatively calm when he left because he’d had the experience of being in the Special Olympics as a competitor and a volunteer,” said Grainne.

“He’s very happy knowing that he is a Special Olympian, and he’s coming across quite confident.

“They’ve been trained quite well, and John has taken all of the coaching and talks very seriously.”

John’s parents, Grainne and Tom Keating, his brother Shane Keating and his 14-year-old niece Kate will fly over to Germany later this week to be there to support him.

Explaining what previous competitions have been like, Grainne said: “It’s every bit as serious as a PGA tournament or the Ryder Cup.

“It’s like watching competitions like that, and the athletes are wonderful for doing what they’re asked to do, there’s no fuss.”

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