Shauna Bocquet, a 20-year-old athlete from Craughwell, County Galway, successfully secured her place for the Paralympics T54 5,000 metres final on Saturday, following a strong performance in her heat at the Stade de France. In her first Paralympic outing, Bocquet skilfully demonstrated her prowess by competing within the first quartet of participants in the second heat. She concluded her race less than a second after the champion crossed the line.
With a recorded time of 12:44.52, Bocquet earned a spot in the final as the ninth swiftest participant. The first heat was remarkably faster, with Susannah Scaroni securing a win with a time of 11:38.34. The championship race is due to start at 9:40 Irish time on Saturday morning.
Bocquet’s joy and appreciation for the cheering crowd, consisting of family, friends, and the Irish community was palpable. She remarked on the substantial Irish presence and the sight of many Irish flags, imbuing the event with a sense of national pride.
Simultaneously, it was a significant day for other Galway competitors like cyclist Ronan Grimes, who not only achieved a new personal best but also set a new national record with his 1:05.521 timing in the C4-5 1,000-metre time trial at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Vélodrome. Despite missing out on the finals with an eighth-place finish, Grimes was quite ecstatic with his personal achievement.
On a similar note, cyclists Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal secured a fifth-place finish in the final of the B 1,000-metre time trial.
The PR2 Mixed Double Sculls heat for Katie O’Brien and Tiarnán O’Donnell was disrupted by a thunderstorm, but they eventually claimed fourth place. Their performance means they will proceed to the repechage at around 10 to 10 in the morning, Irish time, on Saturday, to sustain their Paralympic ambitions. To advance, Team Ireland must ensure a top-two finish. The duo will compete in lane one against teams from France, Ukraine, Netherlands and Turkey.
“We consider tomorrow as our final and we are set to give our absolute best,” O’Donnell expressed.
Friday saw O’Brien, who belongs to the Galway group of Team Ireland, celebrating her 28th birthday.
In related news, Archer, Kerrie Leonard, a native of Meath, narrowly lost in her face-off in the W2 Individual Compound to China’s Jiamin Zhou, displaying a scoreline of 140-135.