Myfyriwr Coleg Menai yn Cystadlu fel Taflwr Maen Elît Unwaith Eto!

Mae gan y para athletwr 19 oed haf prysur o athletau o'i flaen wedi iddo fod yn treulio misoedd yn ei ardd gefn yn hyfforddi yn ystod y cyfnod clo.

Roedd yr athletwr yn datblygu'n dda fel un o bara athletwyr aml-dalentog mwyaf addawol y wlad cyn y cyfnod clo y llynedd.

Kieran oedd pencampwr Prydain ym Mhencampwriaeth Activity Alliance National Junior Athletics yn 2019 ac roedd yn bwriadu mynd i gamp hyfforddi mewn tywydd cynnes ym Mhortiwgal gyda Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru.

"Ro'n i'n edrych ymlaen yn arw at fynd, felly mi oedd derbyn y cyfnod clo yn anodd iawn. Roedd yn gyfle gwych i mi fel person ac fel athletwr felly roedd yn ergyd galed.

"Roedd parhau i ganolbwyntio yn anodd dros ben, ac yna daeth y byd i gyd i stop. Roedd treulio blwyddyn heb wneud unrhyw beth yn galed iawn.

"Dw i'n siŵr mai dyma'r cyfnod anoddaf i mi ei wynebu ers i mi orfod defnyddio cadair olwyn.

"Roedd methu gwneud y pethau dw i'n eu mwynhau yn ofnadwy. Mae fy ffrindiau agosaf yn ymwneud â chwaraeon hefyd, felly roedd methu eu gweld yn anodd iawn.

Ond dw i'n lwcus iawn fod gen i deulu gwych i 'nghefnogi. Ro'n nhw'n gweld fy mod i'n cael trafferth dygymod, ac ro'n nhw'n gallu codi fy hwyliau bob tro."

Mae Kieran wedi cynrychioli Cymru mewn cystadlaethau pêl-fasged gyda chadair olwyn, ac ef yw Llysgennad Actif Coleg Menai. Mae ei rôl yn cynnwys annog ac ysgogi ei gyd-fyfyrwyr i roi cynnig ar chwaraeon ac ymarferion newydd a rhannu gwybodaeth ar fanteision byw bywyd iach ac actif.

Dywedodd Hannah Hughes, Swyddog Hybu Rygbi Grŵp Llandrillo Menai sy'n gyfrifol am y cynllun Llysgennad Actif:

"Mae Kieran wedi bod yn gaffaeliad gwych i'r tîm o Lysgenhadon Actif, ac mae pob un ohonom yn hynod o falch o'i lwyddiannau. Mae pawb yn edrych ymlaen at ei weld yn ôl yn cystadlu'n fuan a gobeithio y bydd yn ennill ychydig o fedalau!"

Wedi iddo fod yn brysur yn hyfforddi yn ei ardd gefn, cafodd Kieran ddychwelyd i'r gampfa dri mis yn ôl.

Cychwynnodd ei daith i faes chwaraeon anabledd pan oedd Kieran yn 13 oed a dechreuodd ei fywyd newid.

Mae ei gyflwr - paraplegia sbastig etifeddol (HSP) – yn anhwylder niwrolegol prin ac etifeddol sy’n creu gwendid cynyddol yng nghyhyrau’r cluniau a’r coesau. Mae’n rhan o wead rhai aelodau o’i deulu, sy’n golygu bod ei frawd iau, Ryan, hefyd mewn cadair, yn ogystal â’i dad.

“Mae gan tua 60 y cant o fy nheulu i e ar ochr fy nhad,” meddai Kieran. “Mae fy mrawd iau i wedi bod mewn cadair ers iddo gael ei eni, ond roeddwn i’n chwarae pêl droed a rygbi pan oeddwn i’n fach.

“Wedyn fe ddechreuais i gael poenau yn fy nghoesau a doeddwn i ddim mor gyflym ag oeddwn i. Roeddwn i’n arafach na phawb arall a doeddwn i ddim wir yn teimlo ’mod i’n gallu ymuno.

“Roeddwn i’n tua 10 oed pan wnes i ddechrau chwarae pêl fasged cadair olwyn. Doeddwn i ddim angen cadair drwy’r amser adeg hynny, felly roeddwn i’n arfer cerdded i mewn i’r sesiynau, neidio i mewn i’r gadair, ac wedyn neidio allan ohoni.

“Ond doeddwn i ddim yn ei hoffi, felly fe wnes i stopio. Dim ond am fod Dad a ’mrawd yn chwarae wnes i ddechrau.”

Ond dair blynedd yn ddiweddarach, cynyddodd amser Kieran yn y gadair a dychwelodd at bêl fasged cadair olwyn gyda ffocws o’r newydd. Yn fuan, roedd ei dalent yn amlwg ac, o fewn blwyddyn neu ddwy, roedd yn gapten carfan D15 Cymru.

Mae’n dal i chwarae i glwb blaenllaw North Wales Knights.

Bydd y Gemau Cymanwlad y flwyddyn nesaf yn Birmingham yn cynnwys pêl fasged cadair olwyn am y tro cyntaf, gan ddefnyddio’r fformat 3 v 3 – ac mae Kieran yn bwriadu bod yno gyda Chymru.

The 19-year-old para athlete has a summer of athletics meetings to look forward to again, after spending much of lockdown training in his back garden.

The athlete was enjoying rapid progress as one the country’s most promising and multi-talented para athletes when lockdown hit in spring of last year.

Kieran had already become a British champion at the Activity Alliance National Junior Athletics Championships in 2019 and was due to attend a warm-weather training camp in Portugal with Disability Sport Wales.

“I was so excited about going, so the lockdown was hard to take. It was a great opportunity for me as a person and an athlete and so it really knocked me back.

“Trying to stay focused was really difficult, but then the whole world came to a stop and it really hit me. To have a year of not doing anything has been really difficult.

“This has probably been the worst time I’ve gone through since I went from walking to being in a wheelchair.

“Not being able to do the things I loved was awful. My closest friends are in sport as well, so not seeing them was also very hard.

“But I’m lucky I’ve got a great family around me. They saw me dip, but they would always bring me up.”

Kieran – who has also represented Wales at wheelchair basketball is also an Active Ambassador for Coleg Menai. His role involves encouraging and engaging his fellow students to try out new sports and exercises, and sharing information regarding the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.

Hannah Hughes, Grŵp Rugby Engagement Officer, who’s also responsible for the Active Ambassador Scheme, said,

“Kieran has been a fantastic asset to the team of Active Ambassadors, and we are all so proud of his achievements. We can’t wait to see him in action soon, and hopefully winning some medals!”

After his back garden routines gave him at least some kind of outlet, Kieran was eventually able to return to the gym three months ago.

His own journey into disability sport began when Kieran was 13 years old and life began to change.

His condition - hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) – is a rare, inherited neurological disorder that produces progressive weakness in the hip and leg muscles. It runs through certain members of his family, meaning his younger brother Ryan is also in a chair as is their father.

“Around 60 per cent of my family have it on my dad’s side,” says Kieran. “My younger brother was in a chair from birth, but I played football, and rugby when I was small.

“Then, I started getting pains in my legs and I wasn’t as fast as I was before. I was slower than the others and didn’t feel I could really join in.

“I was about 10 when I started wheelchair basketball. I didn’t need the chair all the time then, so I used to walk into the sessions, jump in the chair, and then jump back out afterwards.

“I didn’t like it, though, and so I stopped. I was only doing it because my dad and brother were playing.”

Three years later, though, Kieran’s time in the chair increased and he returned to wheelchair basketball with a renewed focus. Soon, his talent was obvious and within a couple of years he was captain of the Wales U15 side.

He still plays for leading club side North Wales Knights.

Next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will feature wheelchair basketball for the first time, showcasing the 3 v 3 format - and Kieran intends to be there with Wales.

The 19-year-old para athlete has a summer of athletics meetings to look forward to again, after spending much of lockdown training in his back garden.

The athlete was enjoying rapid progress as one the country’s most promising and multi-talented para athletes when lockdown hit in spring of last year.

Kieran had already become a British champion at the Activity Alliance National Junior Athletics Championships in 2019 and was due to attend a warm-weather training camp in Portugal with Disability Sport Wales.

“I was so excited about going, so the lockdown was hard to take. It was a great opportunity for me as a person and an athlete and so it really knocked me back.

“Trying to stay focused was really difficult, but then the whole world came to a stop and it really hit me. To have a year of not doing anything has been really difficult.

“This has probably been the worst time I’ve gone through since I went from walking to being in a wheelchair.

“Not being able to do the things I loved was awful. My closest friends are in sport as well, so not seeing them was also very hard.

“But I’m lucky I’ve got a great family around me. They saw me dip, but they would always bring me up.”

Kieran – who has also represented Wales at wheelchair basketball is also an Active Ambassador for Coleg Menai. His role involves encouraging and engaging his fellow students to try out new sports and exercises, and sharing information regarding the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.

Hannah Hughes, Grŵp Rugby Engagement Officer, who’s also responsible for the Active Ambassador Scheme, said,

“Kieran has been a fantastic asset to the team of Active Ambassadors, and we are all so proud of his achievements. We can’t wait to see him in action soon, and hopefully winning some medals!”

After his back garden routines gave him at least some kind of outlet, Kieran was eventually able to return to the gym three months ago.

His own journey into disability sport began when Kieran was 13 years old and life began to change.

His condition - hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) – is a rare, inherited neurological disorder that produces progressive weakness in the hip and leg muscles. It runs through certain members of his family, meaning his younger brother Ryan is also in a chair as is their father.

“Around 60 per cent of my family have it on my dad’s side,” says Kieran. “My younger brother was in a chair from birth, but I played football, and rugby when I was small.

“Then, I started getting pains in my legs and I wasn’t as fast as I was before. I was slower than the others and didn’t feel I could really join in.

“I was about 10 when I started wheelchair basketball. I didn’t need the chair all the time then, so I used to walk into the sessions, jump in the chair, and then jump back out afterwards.

“I didn’t like it, though, and so I stopped. I was only doing it because my dad and brother were playing.”

Three years later, though, Kieran’s time in the chair increased and he returned to wheelchair basketball with a renewed focus. Soon, his talent was obvious and within a couple of years he was captain of the Wales U15 side.

He still plays for leading club side North Wales Knights.

Next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will feature wheelchair basketball for the first time, showcasing the 3 v 3 format - and Kieran intends to be there with Wales.