East Kilbride Handball Club star Ryan Kealy has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Continental Championships in Costa Rica this week.
His selection comes after he helped the British handball squad win gold in the first stage of the U20 European Championship qualifiers in October – something no other British team has managed in 50 years of competition.
The 19-year-old was an integral part of the squad as they took on hosts Kosovo, Bulgaria, Malta and Andorra, winning all four matches with Ryan scoring 15 and assisting another 30 times.
Ryan also won player of the match against Bulgaria.
His fine form has also been maintained at club level, as in 2022 Ryan finished top scorer in the Scottish League and also won player of the year for his club and country.
Ryan’s coach at EK Handball Club, Michael Lavery, commented: “We are all extremely proud but not surprised by Ryan’s success.
“He is a very confident and talented lad. It’s a terrific achievement as all these boys are self funded.
“We wish him all the very best with the British squad and hope they can make more history for British handball.”
Ryan now travels to Costa Rica for the international handball federation event, where GB will compete against Australia, Cuba, hosts Costa Rica and an African qualifier between February 2-12.
The winner of this will go forward to the under-21 World Championships and if GB qualify, it will be the first time in British handball history that they have achieved such a feat.
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