Ellen Keane on learning to love her body and helping others do the same

The Irish swimmer tells Alice Reeves-Turner how early insecurities left her unable to be proud of being a Paralympian

Keane has her sights set on Tokyo (Getty Images)

Most athletes return from their first Olympic or Paralympic Games beaming with pride but for Ellen Keane this was not the case.

Keane, who was born with an undeveloped lower left arm, became the youngest ever athlete to represent Ireland at a Paralympic Games when she competed at Beijing 2008 aged just 13, but the Irish swimmer’s insecurities left her unable to be proud of being a Paralympian.

She went on to make three finals at London 2012 and win a bronze medal at Rio 2016 but despite her success in the pool, the 24-year-old struggled, wanting to hide her arm under long-sleeved tops throughout her teenage years.