Róisín Ní Riain, the 19-year-old swimmer from Limerick, claimed the first medal for Ireland in this Paralympic Games, by securing a silver in the S13 100-metre backstroke final. The event took place at Paris’ La Défense Arena last Friday night. Coming fourth in the S13 100-metre butterfly final the previous night, Ní Riain exceeded expectations with an impressive second half in the backstroke final, following a superb turn at the midpoint, and took home the silver. As the reigning World Para swimming 100-metre backstroke champion, she completed the race in a time of 1:07.27, securing a second position. The race’s gold was claimed by Gia Pergolini of the USA, a world and Paralympic record holder, who finished in a time of 1:04.93. The Italian swimmer Carlotta Gilli came third with a time of 1:08.08. This is Ní Riain’s first Paralympic medal.
