‘She is really special to me’: Swimmer Ellen Keane appeals for help after custom bicycle stolen

Paralympic gold medallist Ellen Keane has issued a public appeal for help after her custom-made bicycle was stolen from a bike rack in Ranelagh, Dublin, on Saturday.

The retired swimmer, who won gold at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo and bronze in Rio in 2016, said in an Instagram post that she was “really sad” about the theft of the adapted bicycle.

“She [the bike] is really special to me because she’s custom made for me, since I have one hand,” she said.

“She is matt black with purple pedals and all of the brakes, all of the gears, everything you do to cycle a bike is on the right-hand side.”

Keane (31), who was born without a left arm from below the elbow, said she got the bicycle during the Covid-19 pandemic “when I couldn’t swim”.

“Honestly she’s the reason I won my gold medal in Tokyo,” she added. “So please, if you see her in some second hand bike shop, let me know.”

Keane also won two silver and two bronze medals at World Championship level during her swimming career. She published a book in 2023 and is a coach on the RTÉ television show Ireland’s Fittest Family.