Multiple record holder sets his sights on Rio in 2016

THE cream of the county’s sporting talent will come together this Saturday evening when the 2012 Galway Sports Stars – sponsored by Supermac’s – are honoured in the Ardilaun Hotel. Among those to collect a gong will be Maree swimmer Cian Duffy, who, incredibly, has notched up 40 or so records to his name.

Duffy (18) really did have a remarkable year in 2012, winning six national titles, including the 100m and 200m Individual Medley events at the Irish Short Course Championships in Lisburn and four gold medals – 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 400m IM and 4x200m Freestyle relay with the Galway team – at the National Youth/Senior Open Championship at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.

In addition, Duffy was selected to represent Ireland at the European Junior Championships in Belgium in July before he made his senior debut with Team Ireland at the European Short Course Championships at Chartres in November.

There, he set an Irish junior record in the 200m Individual Medley at the European Short Course Championships while also posting another in the 4x50m relay (medley and freestyle) with fellow Galway swimmer David O’Sullivan, among others, at the international showpiece.

Indeed, there were few events that Duffy did not set a record of some sort or another – be it Connacht or national, junior or senior. In all, he has over 40, but as he says himself all of his Irish records are also provincial records. “So, there is some duplication there,” says the Maree teenager. “There is also junior and senior and long course and short course. It sounds great but it is really only about 10 [records].”

Certainly, Duffy has come a long way since his early days as a toddler splashing around the pools of Kilcornan (Clarinbridge) and Leisureland, where he joined up with Galway Swimming Club. Along with swimming, he did try his hand at most other sports – rugby, hurling, Gaelic football and soccer – but he hadn’t the hand-eye coordination. “Swimming just worked for me,” he adds.

Still, even at eight years of age, he was “a little late” moving from the teaching to competitive pool sessions and, indeed, he says he was a “decidedly average” competitive swimmer until he was 14. “I was quite small up to then – when I was in first year (at school), I was about 5ft2 – but then I got a bit of a growth spurt,” says the now six-footer.

“So, I was halfway through second year before I got anywhere for the first time really. I randomly came second at the Irish schools (competition), in an event which was not even a good one for me. I had been with Pearse McGuigan (Galway SC & Swim Ireland Connacht Performance Coach) though for two years at that stage.”

No doubt, McGuigan has had a major impact on swimming locally, not only in nurturing Duffy’s talents, but also those of fellow swimmer and previous Galway Sports Star, O’Sullivan. “Pearse is great. Most of the stuff he does is nowhere near his job description. He goes above and beyond what is asked of him and what is expected of him.”

In any event, that placed finish in the 100m freestyle, which earned him a spot on the Irish Schools team to compete in Wales, was the catalyst for his sporting career – even if Duffy did not realise it yet. For the next two years, he tinkered with his swimming, fell out and back in love with sport and, generally, was your average teenager.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.