A three times gold medal winner for squash, Deirdre Faul is off to Australia in August as a member of the Irish Team in the World Transplant Games – where, in their own eyes, all 19 team members are winners already by just getting to the starting-line. Deirdre from Dalkey, Co. Dublin, is looking forward to competing in the life-affirming games, and, between them, the Irish team has 13 new kidneys, five new livers and one new kidney-pancreas.
The squad will travel to Gold Coast, Australia, on Tuesday, August 18th. Deirdre had a liver transplant in 2003 after taking suddenly ill, but, since recuperating, she has lived life to the full and is a regular on the Irish Transplant Team.
A sporting all-rounder, she is now looking forward to this year’s Games, where she will compete in squash, badminton, swimming and golf. She won six medals in the 2007 World Games, notably three gold in squash and golf, and over the years has also picked up medals in ten-pin bowling, cycling, badminton, and swimming.
Deirdre Faul is pictured here on her visit to the Irish Squash Office and also being presented a cheque by Cathy Quinn, Operations Manger for Irish Squash.