Rio now a sight to behold after ‘blind ambition’ pays off for Keane

Not many people choose a life of blind ambition, which is a good thing, because for the most part, it’s neither safe nor always comfortable.

In many ways Bryan Keane is the essence of the true Olympian, trading all standard routine and security and expectation in life to chase his own rare dream and aspiration, or at least a life less ordinary.

That he arrives in Rio this week having fulfilled his ambition is testament to the athlete’s willpower, as he so easily might not have made it at all.

For as long as he can remember, the Olympics have been in his consciousness, and from the age of 12, growing up in Cork, they started to became his life ambition: first in swimming, then in running, and later in cycling – before realising his real talent was combining all three in the sport that is triathlon.

So next Thursday week, August 18th, he gets to line up with the 55 top men’s triathletes in the world at the vast open-air venue that is Fort Copacabana – among the most iconic venues in Olympic history, or certainly of these Games – at the southern end of Copacabana beach.

It will be two days before his 36th birthday, which means Keane will also be the oldest of the 55 starters: in ways, that’s fitting because only now does he feel properly primed for the challenge that awaits him, and also fully appreciative of the lifelong ambition realised.

Treading on his dreams

At the same time it’s been impossible to avoid much of the gloom and cynicism and distrust that have been cast over Rio in recent weeks, and while not necessarily treading on his dreams, the chorus of disapproval hasn’t made for pleasant listening.

“I certainly don’t remember a more negative run-up to an Olympics,” says Keane, who simply doesn’t cater for much pessimism, even at the worst of times, at least partly on the understanding that for all the cheap thrills at our fingertips these days, most people lead pretty dull lives, and he feels privileged to count himself as one of the true exceptions.

“For me, it’s still the biggest event in the world, the pinnacle of sport. And personally I believe triathlon is still clean, that doping is not nearly as bad as it might be in maybe some other sports.

“And a lot of the stuff is coming on social media, on Twitter, and because everyone has their little soap box now, everyone wants their shout out. Personally, it’s my dream, and that’s all I can do.

“I feel fortunate that sport is my job, and that’s a dream in itself, to travel the world and experience what I have. I’m not waiting for a Friday, or working nine-to-five. I feel everyday is a Saturday. I’m in that select group of people, travelling around the world, loving what I’m doing, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

It may his job, though the financial rewards are minimal. His basic grant is €12,000 and a good year, he says, is “breaking even”.

The travelling around the world is certainly no exaggeration: in the first six months of this year, Keane has been around the world twice already, chasing the qualification points needed to get him to the Olympics.

Then, at the end of May, only the top-55 men and women in the world were invited to Rio, based on their 14 best results over the previous two-season period. Keane ended up ranked 48th.

It was close, and came down to the final qualifying race in Yokohama, Japan, and yet at no point did he ever consider not the possibility making it.

“Blind ambition, maybe, but I always believed I would get there in the end,” he says, because another reason he’s so appreciative about being in Rio is the fact he also believed he would be in London, four years ago, before a training accident killed off that dream.

Leg brace

In September 2010, already well positioned to qualify for London, he was riding his time-trial bike near his home in Cork, at about 40kph, when he was hit side-on by a car travelling at a similar speed. He shattered his right kneecap, spent 10 weeks in a leg brace, and despite the boldest of efforts to get back in time for London, he simply ran out of time.

In the end he needed to take a nine-month break in order to learn to run all over again.

"I felt, for my own sake, I had to at least try. Thinking back now, it was crazy. But I'd come so far, I wanted to do everything possible. That was certainly blind ambition. On one of my first runs back, my coach, Chris Jones, looked at me and said 'don't take this the wrong way, but if I didn't know you, and were watching you run for the first time, I would think you had a disability'.

“My right leg, from the hip down, was doing nothing. The left leg was doing everything. So I had to start off again, baby steps, like a child. You have moments, when you question why, but for me it was day by day. I knew it was possible. I’d placed top-10 in the world and knew I could get back there.

Instinct to keep going

“I was lucky people stood by me, like Triathlon Ireland, so the means was there. I’m sure some people, behind my back, were saying I was wasting my time, but for me it was just instinct to keep going.”

That decision to keep going for Rio was reinforced in 2013, at Ishigaki in Japan, when Keane finished second to become the first Irishman to make the podium at a World Cup event.

“This has actually been my most consistent year. And the course in Rio is strength-based, more than speed-based, which will definitely suit me. So I want to be as competitive as I can, because it has been something I’ve dreamed of, my whole life, and to have achieved that goal, to be able to represent my country, is something I’m very proud of.”

And in representing his country, Keane also feels he’s representing all the people who helped him achieve that; family, friends, club members, sponsors, and in becoming only our second male qualifier for the Olympic triathlon, he’s also providing Irish representation at the top table in what is still considered one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

“It will feel like the whole world is watching in Rio,” he says, and well they might.