T.J. Kearns competed in the men’s 110 metres hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, finishing 4th in his opening heat in 14.17 seconds to qualify for the second round, where he was subsequently eliminated.

From Rathvilly, Co. Carlow, Kearns was described as ‘a phenomenon in Irish athletics’ who ‘consistently produced quality performances in the major international meets in the highly technical 110m hurdles.’

Seoul was his first of five appearances at major championships, and at each of them he qualified from his opening heat. The achievement of reaching the Olympic qualification standard for the 110 metres hurdles from an Irish base was described as ‘inspirational and represented a tremendous boost for the domestic coaching system.’

He went on to compete at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, where he set a new Irish record of 13.63 seconds in the second round and also at Atlanta 1996.