Galway’s Pocket Rocket seeks a helping hand!

She’s known as the ‘Pocket Rocket’, and 21-years-old Sinead Keon from Moyglass, Kylebrack near Woodford has many more medals in her trophy cabinet than years she’s spent competing . . . but the one thing she hasn’t yet been able to source is a sponsor.

The sporting achievements of Sinead, who has a form of dwarfism, this year, were recognised at the Irish Grand Prix Awards ceremony held in Kilkenny last Saturday night.

It was another busy season for the Galway athlete who competed in eight home games, and two International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Games in Portugal and Athlone.

The highlight of the year came in Athlone in July when Sinead recorded a new Irish and European javelin record – with a 16.85 metres throw.

For this, she was lauded with the Jimmy Byrne Award at the ceremony in Kilkenny, as well as coming first overall in javelin in Ireland for the year, and third overall in shot putt.

However, Sinead Keon is still on the lookout for sponsorship, as she sets her sights on competing at the IWAS World Games in Sharjah, UAE next year.

In February, she will join a team of nine athletes who will represent Ireland at the games. It will cost at least €1,700 to compete at UAE.

Her ultimate goal is to qualify and compete at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo – all of her exploits next season will be focused on qualifying for Japan.

Sinead’s list of achievements over the past five years since she began competing include being the current holder of the Irish and European record in javelin in her class (F41)

She has represented Ireland at seven World Games and won gold medals at discus and shot putt, three silver medals in javelin and two bronze in shot putt. She is a two-times World table tennis champion and has won countless medals at Irish and UK National competitions.

A past pupil of Mercy College Woodford, Sinead has a restricted growth condition known as Achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism.

She is one of just three young people in Galway who has the condition. Sinead is just over four feet tall, and is unlikely to grow more than a half a foot further even in adulthood. The top of her legs and the top of her arms are short, and so her reach is very restricted. She became involved in sport in 2012 and has excelled in her chosen fields.