Timothy Morahan plans to party after winning gold at the Special Olympics – but fizzy drinks are strictly off the menu

Nerves and anxiety filtered around the Irish contingent awaiting the results of the men’s 5,000 metre race at Berlin’s Olympic Park.

A clear personal best – Morahan sped home in 17 minutes and 35 seconds – meant his family knew he was in the medal mix. However, with divisioning rules it was unclear until almost an hour after the race what medal would be placed around his neck.

“We were so happy with bronze. This is unbelievable,” his mother Emmy Morahan said, “but now it’s gold...wonderful.

“I’m just shaking and I’m more than delighted. I’m so happy for Timothy. He trains so hard; he deserves it. We are very proud – he did all he could to win this race.”

His brother, Christopher, said it sets the tone for the Irish team.

“It’s incredible what he’s achieved,” he said.

Speaking with his gold medal in hand, Timothy Morahan said: “I feel brilliant, I’m very happy... I have just won a gold medal in the 5,000 metres.”

He plans to celebrate this week, but not too hard. “We can hopefully have parties and you can’t have any soft drinks because it’s still very unhealthy, sugar,” he insisted.

Within minutes of Morahan’s gold, news filtered through of a medal for another Dubliner. Eoin O’Connell had clinched bronze in the open-water swimming, while Jenny O’Halloran also took bronze in rhythmic gymnastics.

Sport Ireland chief executive Una May was there to witness the joyous scenes in the Olympic Park. “It’s very hard not to be emotional, and Timothy was such a fantastic winner,” she said.

She praised the organisational aspect of Special Olympics Ireland, which she said has a “strong board” and “high levels of governance”.

In a rarity for sporting organisations in Ireland, it is understood that 58pc of the board are women.

“When you say they’re a case of good governance, it just goes to show the influence that having strong, powerful women at the top makes,” she said.

“But they are an organisation that is progressive. When inclusion is at the core of your values, it happens across the board without any specific effort.

“Inclusion is across gender, ethnic background, ability, disability. Everyone has to be part of it and when that’s part of your core values, then that sort of thing does emerge in a successful governance structure.”

A tough challenge has been coping with a dearth of volunteers since the pandemic, which has meant some of the many community clubs across the country have not reopened since 2020.

“We’re slowly but surely returning to pre-pandemic levels, but the volunteers is one area that everybody is struggling with,” Ms May said.

“People sort of re-evaluated their time and their commitments to their lives and all the rest. In other ways, it’s an opportunity – we’re bringing in new volunteers.

“It will take time to bring in a whole generation of new volunteers, but it’s something we have to pay very close attention to as the population demographic is changing.”