John Loftus received a new kidney in October 2000, and today he romped to victory in the 100m final  for men aged 60 and over at the 17th World Transplant Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
“I almost can’t believe it. I was just beaten into the silver medal position two years ago in Bangkok, and last year I won the European title, but this is just incredible to win the world title – and on my birthday too,” said Mr Loftus, speaking from Gold Coast, Australia.
“I ran a time of 15.22 seconds, an improvement of .13 seconds on the time I recorded to win the European title last year. Maybe I will keep getting better!
“But, you know, I have two birthdays. I also celebrate the birthday when I received my new kidney in 2000, and, as I enjoy this win here, I remember the donor who gave me the gift of life.
“Someone unfortunately passed away to give me that gift, but I like to think that I have made full use of it. That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to win a world medal – to show people the benefit of carrying an organ donor card.
“I enjoy a full and active life. I even opened my own brokerage recently, Thomond Asset Management, and I fully intend to defend my European and World titles in the years ahead.”
There were emotional scenes as Mr Loftus and his Irish colleague Tom Metcalfe – from Stepaside in Co. Dublin – made it an Irish 1-2 in the sprint.
The Clarina, Co. Limerick, man is joined in Gold Coast by his wife Trish, daughter Tara, mother-in-law Josie Lipper, and his son’s girlfriend, Linda Moran. His exploits in recent years have earned him the nickname The Bullet, and his fans sported ‘The Bullet’ t-shirts at yesterday's finals.
The Irish team has accumulated a total of 20 medals from the six days of competition so far, and the tally is expected to increase tomorrow (SATURDAY), when the curtain comes down on the Games.
The 19-strong team, ranging in age from 22 to 64, have travelled Down Under with 13 new kidneys, five new livers and one new kidney-pancreas.
 “Every day, the athletes remember their donors, and each performance, let alone victory, is a way of saying thank you to the donors who gave them the gift of life,” said team manager Colin White.
A special website has been built – www.transplantteamireland.com – where supporters can follow the team’s progress. For an organ donor card FREETEXT the word ‘DONOR’ to 50050.