Supporters take Gary to their hearts in his moment of glory

ON another afternoon of uplifting stories, Gary Durkin touched the heart of many inside the RDS. Gary was one of the Connacht athletes in the Motor Activities event yesterday. Of everything going on in the RDS, Motor Activities is perhaps the most humbling.

Designed for athletes not yet acquired the necessary skills to participate in competitive sport, it gives them a chance to, as one athlete put it, “show the world what they can do.”

Gary was competing at level 2 in the ball lift, but the sense of occasion, the venue was crammed all day, got the better of him. Shyness and nerves bettered him. Or did they? Encouraged by his family and coach, Gary was enticed to try again. This time, he succeed and the crowd basked with him in his moment of glory.