Blade stunner: Agony turned to advantage

NO pain, no gain proved a useful motto for a group of students who turned an agonising accident to their advantage in the BT Young Scientist and Technology competition.

Darerca O’Sullivan, 16, was playing Gaelic football when she twisted her knee and snapped her cruciate ligament while wearing her first pair of boots to have blades on the soles instead of studs.

“The blades wedged in the ground, so the boot didn’t turn with my leg and the ligament snapped,” she said. “I’d always had studs and they’re round so they turn more easily in the ground. It got us thinking about the injury rate among players who use blades.”