Irish banana distributor, Fyffes has expanded its ‘Fit Squad’ coaching team with their appointment of World Para Rowing champion, Katie O’Brien from Clarinbridge.

A member of Galway Rowing Club, O’Brien represents Ireland in the PR2 W1x rowing category.

On the Fit Squad coaching panel, she teams up with Irish Olympians, Cork sprinter Phil Healy and Dublin athlete, David Gillick, working alongside fitness expert and trainer, Sharon Flanagan.

“As we begin our busiest ever programme of ‘fitness visits’ to schools, here and in Northern Ireland, we welcome Katie whose presence on our coaching panel adds further credibility and value to the work our Fit Squad programme is doing in introducing young children to the importance of physical exercise and healthy eating,” said Fyffes head of marketing, Emma Hunt-Duffy.

Through a schedule of live school visits – to be undertaken between now and next March – it is expected that some 10,000 pupils from schools throughout Ireland will participate in interactive Fit Squad sessions, increasing to almost 40,000 the number of children who will have taken part in the programme since it was introduced in 2018.

Schools interested in participating are invited to register at www.fyffesfitsquad.ie/register