Colin Lynch is hoping strangers will help him purchase a better prosthetic leg in order to win a medal for Ireland in the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil. Lynch was born in Singapore and grew up mostly in Canada but his father was from Drogheda, Co Louth giving Colin the opportunity to represent Ireland in international events.

Lynch has chosen to ride for Ireland for the entirety of his relatively short career and explained that he feels as Irish as anyone, saying, “I think of myself as Irish no matter where I lived. Through my Irish heritage, I’ve been able to represent the country for a long time. I’m very proud to be Irish.”

Lynch suffered from an untreatable infection in addition to an associated spinal cord injury resulting from a rugby injury as a 16 year old. He faced six years of ongoing operations as doctors seemingly tried everything before eventually having to amputate Colin’s leg below the knee.

It wasn’t until 2008 that, “a lightbulb went off,” as Lynch observed the Paralympics in Beijing and thought he could be competitive as a cyclist.

Lynch has won two world championships since then and narrowly missed out on a medal in 2012 at the London Paralympics by fractions of a second.

Lynch explained, “The leg I currently use for training does not fit well and causes me a lot of pain, making training difficult,” adding that, “It’s Important now to keep on top of my game and use every advantage. My body has changed and i need a leg that adapts well to my body.”

Here is a link to Colin’s Donation page if you would like to contribute: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/prosthetic-cycling-leg-for-rio-2016-paralympics.