Shane Ryan
Swimming
BIOGRAPHY
He has represented Ireland in three consecutive Olympic Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he competed in the 100m backstroke, reaching the semifinals and finishing 16th overall with a time of 54.35 seconds. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he swam in the same event, finishing 23rd in the heats with a time of 53.73 seconds. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he was part of Ireland’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team, swimming the freestyle leg as the team set a new national record of 3:33.81 and placed 11th in the heats.
Ryan has achieved significant success in international competition, winning gold in the 50m backstroke at the 2017 World University Games, a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke at the 2018 European Championships, and another bronze at the 2018 World Short Course Championships. He holds multiple Irish records, including a national best of 21.82 seconds in the 50m freestyle, set at the 2024 European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade.
His eligibility to represent Ireland comes from his father, Thomas, who emigrated from Portarlington, County Laois, while his mother, Mary Beth Bonner, also has Irish heritage. Ryan graduated from Penn State University with a degree in sports management and has been based in Ireland since before the Rio Olympics.
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