Kieran Behan – Gymnastics, Ireland

Kieran Behan was the second athlete from Ireland to ever compete in the Olympics when he made it to London in 2012. His mere presence at the Olympic games— both in 2012 and in 2016 at Rio— is a testament to overcoming the odds…

At age 10, doctors removed a benign tumor from Behan’s leg, which left him in a wheelchair for a time. Just as he’d started to bounce back, he slipped off of a high bar at the age of 12, hitting his head hard enough to cause brain damage and inner ear trouble that led to immobility for three years. Even though he was never expected to walk again, Behan returned to gymnastics and forged his way into the professional world. Behan’s love of gymnastics is evident because these difficulties weren’t enough to stop him from earning a spot on the road to Rio 2016.