It was during her college days that Josephine Healion, along with her sister, joined their local club, Tullamore Cycling and Touring Club.
As a vision-impaired cyclist, she immediately found the environment a welcoming and encouraging one, but in truth it was more of a summer hobby.
A full-time college student, she thought little more of it until Covid seemed to stop everything in its tracks.
She was back home – working as a learning and development support specialist at a cyber security company – and had more free time than ever.
When Fran Meehan from the Tullamore Cycling Club reached out and suggested a targeted plan, it was the encouragement she needed to rekindle her passion for the sport and move it up a level.
"Fran said I could definitely take this to the next level if I wanted to," she tells RTÉ Sport.
"At the time, my life was in the right place. It was the right time for me. I was encouraged by all of the things that she said, nothing that she said deterred me from it. I really applied myself at the time and wanted to take it to this level."
With Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal blazing a trail for Para cycling, Healion and pilot Linda Kelly have added to the strength of the squad.
Injuries and form have seen the pairings mixed up, but positive results have followed consistently.
Since 2023, Healion has combined with pilots Eve McCrystal in international road competitions and Linda Kelly in international track competitions.
Healion and Kelly won a bronze medal in the women's tandem road race at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, while she has combined with McCrystal at international road competitions.
𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 🥉
— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) August 14, 2022
Just 15 metres from the finish line their timing chain came off but even that couldn't stop Josephine Healion and Linda Kelly from winning bronze in the final sprint 😱 pic.twitter.com/Id8HEqLzq7
"It has been a massive learning curve for me in all aspects," she says.
"I kind of had the goal of Paris when I started training for this three years ago. That was the big picture goal, there were obviously smaller goals along the way that have been successful for the most part."
In March she decided to sacrifice full-time employment to concentrate all her efforts on Paris.
She will be in action on the road (Day 2) and on the track (Day 4), with the velodrome likely to offer the strongest chance to challenge for a medal, whether it is with Kelly or McCrystal.
"The sport in general is challenging," she says. "The biggest thing for me is just the learning side of it, it’s a whole different level.
"I had to learn an awful lot very quickly, about nutrition, S&C, things I had never put time and energy into before.
"I’m still learning. Even people who are on the squad a long time are still adapting. You just have to move with it and try absorb as much as you can."
The 2024 Paralympic Games takes place from 28 August - 8 September. Follow all the action from Paris with our coverage on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player or listen to updates and live commentaries on RTÉ Radio.
