Martin
O'Neill's brother Gerry writes:
Martin is 15 years old and enjoys taking part in many sports, but recently decided he wanted to take up Athletics. After joining a club for people with learning difficulties, he found that he was particularly good at the Javelin and the Shot-put. Martin spent a lot of time practicing and his practise came to fruition when he qualified as part of the West of Scotland team for the Special Olympics in Portsmouth (England) on July 15th 1997.
Competitors from many countries were taking part, so Martin was basically not expected to win but this didn't matter because of the experience he was getting. However, he took part in an event called Softball, which is basically like the shot-put except using a softball, and produced a monster throw (over 24 metres). This was enough to win Martin a gold medal in the Special Olympics which is more than anyone could have hoped for.
