Ellen Keane was Ireland’s youngest ever athlete when she swam in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. At just 13 years old, she competed impressively, placing sixth in the 100m breaststroke. At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, she made three finals and her best finish was in the 100m Butterfly final. In 2013, she progressed to reach her first major international podium when she claimed two bronze medals at the IPC World Championships in Montreal.

The following year a few short weeks after completing her Leaving Cert she went on to make three fourth place finishes and swim two lifetime bests at the European Championships in Eindhoven. At the IPC World Championships in Glasgow in 2015, Ellen secured a bronze medal after a fantastic finish in the 200m Individual Medley final (SM9) where she also set a new lifetime best time.

Ellen also represented Ireland at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Open Championships where she secured two lifetime best swims. Rio was Ellen’s third Paralympic Games and saw her make the podium claiming a brilliant bronze medal in the final of the SB8 100m Breaststroke. She also swam lifetime bests finishing eighth in each of the S9 100m Backstroke and Butterfly finals.

It was in 2018 at the World European Para-Swim Championships, when the Dublin native was the star of the show. Ellen added to her long list of honours with a gold and bronze.  In the 200m Individual Medley, Ellen finished third with a time of 2.40.64, two days later Ellen was roared on by a packed NAC when she won Ireland’s only gold in the 100m breaststroke, which was a dominant display by the swimming superstar.

Ellen added a bronze medal to her tally at the World Para Swimming Championships in London with a season’s best performance and a time of 1:22:42 in the 100m breaststroke SB8. This performance saw Ellen named on the RTÉ Sport Awards 2019 Sportsperson of the Year alongside team mate Nicole Turner.

From Clontarf, the 25 year old studied Culinary Entrepreneurship in DIT Aungier Street.

Ellen was born without part of her left arm below her elbow.

Tokyo 2021 Results:

In Tokyo Keane swam to the pinnacle of her sport and eclipsed her 2016 bronze by winning gold in the 100m breaststroke SB8 in a personal best time of 1.19.33.