Double champion reveals inspiration for wins

Double Paralympic champion Mark Rohan, who won his second gold yesterday, has revealed one of the inspirations behind his success in London this week.

Tiernan O’Sullivan-Dineen, 7, has been afflicted with spina bifida since birth but the tough Cork lad doesn’t let that affect his attitude and his passion for life.

Last night, his mother Lorraine revealed he exchanged emails with Rohan offering advice. “Tiernan emailed Mark last Monday because we knew he was doing the race [individual time trial] on Wednesday and he emailed us back and he said when he was doing the race he’d be thinking of Tiernan.”

Tiernan, from Mallow, rides for Kanturk Cycling Club and met Mark at a hand-cycling event held by the Rebel Wheelers in Cork earlier in the summer and they struck up a good friendship.

“Tiernan was saying how fast he could go. They got on great, and Tiernan was even saying he’d beat him in a race,” said Lorraine.

Tiernan’s health took a turn for the worse last week when his shunt got blocked. Although Rohan was in heavy training for London, he took time out to tweet a picture of Tiernan, who was recovering after two corrective surgeries in CUH.

“Mark has been absolutely fantastic,” said Lorraine. “He’s really helped lift the profile of the sport and it was just amazing for us being in hospital and all the nurses knew who Tiernan was and his relationship with Mark.”