By Áine Leech
Killucan teenager Karla Cunningham has returned from the Deaflympics in Turkey after narrowly missing the bronze medal for swimming. Karla, daughter of Audrey and Richard Cunningham flew out to the games, which took place from the 18th- 30th of July in Samsun, Turkey, with both parents, brother Harry and sister Jessica.
The fourteen-year-old swimmer took part in ten races, covering six different stroke styles. It was her 800m race that saw her shave almost twenty seconds off her personal best time. With sixteen 50m lengths to cover, Karla was neck and neck for third place up until the final three laps and unfortunately missed the bronze medal by 0.25 of a second. It was Karla’s first event outside of Ireland and her first time swimming for Ireland.
The Summer Deaflympics are an International Olympic Committee sanctioned event at which Deaf athletes compete at an elite level. Unlike the athletes in other Olympic sanctioned events, the Deaflympians cannot be guided by sounds. Karla explained how she and other swimmers were notified of the starting signal; “I don’t wear the cochlear implant in the pool, or anywhere near the pool. We all take our positions, and rather than wait for a gunshot or whistle there is a light system; red to take our place, orange to get ready, and green to go.” Despite many competitors coming from non-deaf families, fans in the stands applauded using the universal sign language for applause. Given the variety of sign languages present at the games, the encouraged sign to use was International Sign or universal sign, in order for all competitors to be able to communicate clearly to one another.
Karla, who is about to begin third year in Loreto College, Mullingar, is using August as a month of rest before getting back in the pool in September. The student told in Topic that she trains eight times a week, including three early morning starts before school with Coach Anthony Hughes. Ms. Cunningham is an active member of the Jets club in Mullingar as well as her school’s swim team and regularly trains in Dublin.
“The best part was getting to know everyone, all the other competitors within the deaf community” said Karla and mother Audrey agreed stating, “There was a great camaraderie amongst all the countries and a really great atmosphere.”
With four years left to train until the next Deaflympics, set to take place in either L.A. or Dubai, Karla said that she is even more determined to come back from the next one with a medal.
Karla and all the Cunningham family wish to make a special note of thanks to Loreto College, Coach Anthony Hughes, Managers Dee Byrne and Catherine Finlay, Cunningham’s shop in Killucan, Nanny Quinn’s all those that sponsored and supported Karla’s olympic trip to Turkey.
