Ciara Peelo represented Ireland in the women’s Laser Radial class at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, finishing 20th overall in the regatta held off Qingdao on China’s eastern coast.

She had the additional honour of carrying the Irish flag at the opening ceremony in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium – wearing a John Rocha creation of hand-painted traditional silk featuring Celtic motifs – before an audience of 91,000 inside the stadium and billions watching worldwide.

From Malahide, Co. Dublin, Peelo is a member of Howth Yacht Club and qualified for the Games with one of the great comeback performances in Irish sailing – she was lying 65th overall at the Women’s Laser Radial World Championship in New Zealand before staging a remarkable recovery to finish 29th in the gold fleet and secure Ireland’s Olympic quota place. She later reflected that she came home feeling she had not achieved her personal goals in the regatta itself, but with time looked back on the full experience more positively, describing the journey to and through the Games as something to be treasured.

She subsequently worked as a teacher and as a coach with the Irish Laser Class Association, passing on her experience to the next generation of Laser sailors.