(Photo caption: Harry Lloyd – in green in the centre of the image – with members of the Hickey family, his family on his mother’s side.)
Family, friends and the wider community rejoiced in the sporting success for a Ballinasloe-based athlete, Harry Lloyd who recently won his first gold at the Irish Special Olympics in his first time at the swimming competition. He has also previously won medals at provincial level.
Harry is from Gortmore in Aughrim, and is the son of Henry and Vanessa Lloyd. He has two sisters, Tiegan and Emily Mae and two brothers, Joshua and Adam. He went to national school in St Catherine’s in Aughrim, and then to Garbally College.
He started swimming when he was five. “I love the water and I have made great friends there,” Harry says. He joined Special Olympics soon after and trains every Saturday with the Ballinasloe Eagles Special Olympics Club. “Cormac Jennings, Mary Teresa McGrath and Peter Lyons are my coaches”, he adds. The team are also supported by Coral Leisure staff.
He qualified for the Special Olympics Connacht Spring Swim Meet last year and took home a gold and a bronze medal that day. Since qualifying for the Connacht competition, Harry has been training once a week with Ballinasloe Eagles and once a month with Connacht.
Harry greatly enjoyed the Special Olympics experience. He particularly liked the opening ceremony in Tallaght stadium. “All of our families were in Tallaght waiting for us with flags and banners. There were over 1,200 athletes taking part, from all over Ireland and we had a great time. The President of Ireland was there and lots of dancers and singers and we got to get up and dance” he says. The organisers arranged entertainment for the athletes each night, with one night being a Mama Mia movie evening, while there was a disco on Saturday night.
On his gold medal success, Harry said: “This was the best part of the week. My family were there to see me and so proud of me and my coaches were so delighted. I was so excited, everyone was texting all day to congratulate me. It was the best day of my life.”
Harry’s neighbours and family organised a large homecoming for him to celebrate his success. “When we arrived home off the motorway, there was a convoy of people, family, friends and neighbours waiting off exit 15 with flags and banners. We drove around the town and out Creagh beeping the car horns in celebration. Many people stood outside their houses waving and cheering. When we arrived to St. Brendan’s, there was a bonfire and about 100 people with banners and flags waiting to congratulate me.” Following his win, Harry would like to thank his family, coaches, and friends, “and especially my Nanna Maura for bringing me to swimming every week.”
When he’s not swimming, Harry goes to the Training Options and Personal Education (TOPE) Centre in Ballinasloe, which provides pre-vocational education for those with learning difficulties. “We do lots of educational courses and have lots of fun along the way,” he says. He will also be a familiar face to anyone who attends the Ballinasloe Social Services Centre in Brackernagh, where he volunteers. “I love my day in Social Services helping the people there to enjoy their day.” In his spare time, Harry also plays basketball with the Special Olympics, and enjoys going out for meals and going to discos and the cinema.
