Ellen Keane is ready to embrace the unknown

The Paralympian is retiring from swimming after a stellar career, but she's ready to figure out who she is outside of the athletic world.

As scary as it may be, walking away from the world she knows so well feels bittersweet for the swimmer.

In a new interview with Her.ie, the champion spoke about embracing a new chapter of her life and the pride of being Irish.

Ellen Keane has just returned home from the Paris 2024 Paralympics when we sit down to chat about what's next for the national treasure.

Reflecting on her time in Paris, Ellen said it was a complete dream for her.

"This whole year has been a little bit bittersweet because there have been so many moments where I've been saying goodbye. I had my last training session and there was a countdown to Paris, but once I got to Paris I didn't feel that at all.

"It was like the quote 'don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened' and that's all I felt. I felt pure joy and pure readiness because I knew I wasn't making a mistake. I knew this was the right decision for me."

Ellen Keane explained that she had the perfect goodbye to her career.

"I got so many lovely hugs and kisses and messages. I felt so much love in Paris," she shared.

"My final race was for little me, for younger Ellen"

As incredible as her career in swimming has been, Ellen also had down days when she wanted to call it quits. However, there was one nugget of advice that always helped her hold her head up high.

Ellen said she always reminds herself why she started swimming in the first place.

"My final race was for little me, for younger Ellen and that's the reason I started. That's why it was so easy for me to move on because I wanted to win a gold medal and I did that."

Ellen said her friends and family were a huge anchor for her when she made this decision, but she is excited for what's to come.

However, she's all too aware of the hurdles younger women are facing in the sporting world.

She said it's vital to empower and encourage young women to take up sport because it's so much more than a hobby.

"It's really special to be part of the Allianz campaign to help stop the drop because sport for me has been the reason I am so confident. It's the reason I have so many life experiences and memories.

"You don't have to do it on your own"

"But there were moments in my career where I wanted to stop. I wanted to let go when I found it too hard because I was so tired or I was struggling with balancing my school.

"The best thing that helped me get through that was communication. If the reason why you want to drop out is because it's too hard it actually isn't that hard. You just need to realise you don't have to do it on your own.

"No one wants you to fail like everyone wants to be part of the success story and be part of the reason that you succeeded. You just really need to lean into that and ask for help," Ellen advised.

"I want to figure out who I am"

A brand new chapter awaits Ellen, but she's not putting too much pressure on herself just yet. She explained that she wants to discover who she really is outside the sporting world.

"With sport itself, I've had so many decisions made for me along the way that I don't really know a lot about who I am as a person and what I want to do," she said.

"I want to find something I love as much as I love sport. I'm just going to take my time and figure it out."

Ellen has the recording of her audiobook and a yoga teacher training course to look forward to but she's not going to make any major moves until January.

"I love just trying new things and always growing. In January I'll try and have a clearer idea of what it is I want to do, but I'm going to take this time for me.

"I think I owe it to myself just to slow down a bit," Ellen shared.

Ellen Keane may not know what her next chapter entails but there's no doubt she will continue to make Ireland proud, no matter what she does.

READ MORE:

• ‘I don’t have a penny saved, but I’m okay with it’ – Attitudes on saving money in your 20s and 30s
• NWC call for action as ‘violence against women is at epidemic levels in Ireland’
• Weekday weddings are rising in popularity but are they a burden for guests?
• ‘I had to grieve for a while’ – Selena Gomez reveals she can’t carry her own children