The Paralympic Games saw Róisín Ní Riain secure her second medal by finishing third in the SM13 200m individual medley final at the La Défense Arena on a Tuesday evening. The promising 19-year-old showcased her talent with an incredible final length, achieving a bronze medal and smashing her previous personal best with a new impressive time of 2:27.47, an almost two second improvement on her previous record of 2:29.11.
Throughout much of the race, Ní Riain occupied the fourth spot but steadily narrowed the gap with a resilient third lap. Despite remaining in the fourth spot as she made her last turn, she managed to edge ahead to come in third, slightly before Shokhsanamkhon Toshpulatova, who finished at 2:27.55.
She expressed her joy at securing third place, saying she was pleased with her results. Ní Riain was notably thrilled to win the bronze after maintaining a strong performance since the morning.
The gold medal in this event went to Italy’s Carlotta Gilli with a time of 2:25.33 and USA’s Olivia Chambers bagged the silver with a finishing time of 2:25.90.
Ní Riain further noted her satisfaction after years of coming close, “I’ve been narrowly missing the podium for three years in individual medleys, so to finally be on the winning side is just fantastic.”
However, the day was not as fortunate for Nicole Turner, who placed sixth in the S6 50m butterfly final, failing to replicate the form that earned her a silver at the Tokyo Games three years prior. She finished with a time of 38.59.
Turner expressed her sentiments after the race very candidly. In spite of intending to relish the thrill of the race, she admitted her exhaustion towards the end. She claimed that she would have cherished a position on the podium, however, her plans seemed to falter along the way. Despite her disappointment, she still values the experience of competing in Paris for the Paralympic Games, as not many get such a rare opportunity.
17-year-old Dearbhaile Brady, however, had a rather successful race. Participating in her first ever Paralympic finals, Brady secured the fifth position and set a new personal record of 37.67. This Derry-bred swimmer was merely a straw’s length from clenching a bronze medal. This medal was ultimately awarded to Brazilian swimmer Mayara Do Amaral Petzold who finished in 37.51. The gold and silver medals went to Chinese swimmers, Yuyan Jiang and Liu Daomin, posting times of 35.03 and 37.10 respectively.
Brady found immense joy in her performance, taking pride in her improved time. She stated she wasn’t excessively anxious and decided to revel in the final. She expressed satisfaction with her final presents.
In their morning heats, Turner wrapped up third with a time of 38.10, while Brady following closely behind at fourth with a time of 38.73.
22-year-old Barry McClements from Down came in eighth in his S9 100m backstroke final, clocking a time of 1:05.56. He is set to return on Friday for the S9 100m butterfly.
McClements expressed that slight improvements in his turn could have led to a different outcome of the race. However, he enjoyed the swift and invigorating competition.
The race was spearheaded by Yahor Shchalkanau, who competed as a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, ultimately setting a new Paralympic record of 1:00.76.
Ní Riain is far from done with her swimming competitions. This Thursday, she’ll be vying for her third medal of these Games in the SB13 100m breaststroke heats.
After wrapping up her press obligations at La Défense Arena, Ní Riain was keen to know how Orla Comerford had performed in her 100m sprint at the Stade de France – both events occurred a few moments apart.
Upon learning of Comerford’s bronze win, Ní Riain couldn’t help but express her excitement: “This is marvellous news for Orla. I’m thrilled beyond measure. It’s been a terrific evening for Team Ireland, and fingers crossed, more celebrations might be on the way.”
Indeed.