The agony and the ecstasy

The Editorial – IT may  continue raining for weeks yet but while we are deprived of sunshine in our lives, we do have the Olympic Games to escape to, albeit, for most of us, through our TV sets. The penultimate in sports excellence, performance, triumph and yes, failure too, the Olympic Games is one of the world’s greatest demonstrations of athletic prowess, physical and mental endurance and the ability of the human spirit to rise above physical restrictions in order to achieve personal triumph on the most awesome sports battleground in the world.

Limerick – designated European City of Sport in 2011 is well represented in the Olympic Games 2012.
The teenage Grainne Murphy of the University of Limerick, unfortunately had to withdraw as a contender in the Swimming  heats, due to becoming ill with glandular fever. Three years ago the Limerick Post wrote about Grainne’s heroic focus on gruelling training and preparation to enable her qualify for the Olympic Games 2012 – that was her dream and it is heartbreaking that she is now forced to resign from the games. But at the tender age of 19, hopefully she will make the right decision for her future.
Other Limerick participants in the games are Sean O’Neill of Pallaskenry who is rowing for New Zealand, Rachel Vanderwal of the University of Limerick who is with the Women’s Basketball Team for Great Britain, Michael Ryan of Oola, County Limerick who is contesting with the Irish Olympic showjumping Eventing Team and the swimmer, Barry Murphy who trained in the UL sports Arena pool.