An Irish doctor and triathlete has told how she hopes to be able to show young girls that “you can do everything that you set your mind to”.
She said, “What happened was, I went for an ultrasound of my heart through my insurance. It was about €50, I went on my own one evening. Shannon told how being put on Warfarin meant “blood tests every week” and keeping a close eye on what she ate — noting that while it was “really, really hard”, “this was my last resort”.
"I was like, ‘at least, if I don’t even finish or win it, the money of my entry is going towards a good cause’. That was the King of Greystones triathlon. From there, I started doing more home races in 2021.
The Dubliner is hoping to help Ireland qualify a team for the mixed relay at the Paris Olympics — and has got her sights set on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Shannon also shared one of her favourite parts about the journey so far has been “experiencing new cultures and meeting various athletes around the world.”
“But it’s quite hard, in sports in Ireland, to make it as a professional and make a living out of it, and to sustain itself.“And then just being away from home. Being away from Ireland, and my friends and my family — nothing worthwhile comes easy, so I know that these temporary negative aspects will turn into something positive in the future.”