In the Paralympic Games held in Paris, Róisín Ní Riain didn’t secure a third medal, finishing fourth in the S13 100m breaststroke final at La Défense Arena on Thursday evening. Despite a promising start, the Limerick-born athlete found herself positioned fourth at the turn and was unable to close the disadvantage in the latter half of the race, finishing just over half a second behind America’s Colleen Young, who claimed third place.
Ní Riain recorded a time of 1:19.16, with Young completing the race in 1:18.52. First place was swept up by Rebecca Redfern of UK with a time of 1:16.02 and the American, Olivia Chambers grabbed the silver with the time of 1:17.70.
From her pre-final heat, Ní Riain placed second with a time of 1:19.05, thus promoting her to the final as the third fastest qualifier. “My finishing rank wasn’t what I anticipated, as I entered the final as the third ranking but finished fourth. That’s a part of the game,” Ní Riain commented later.
The previous week represented a breakthrough for Ní Riain in the sphere of Irish Para swimming — securing two medals; a silver and a bronze, and earning herself a spot in four Paralympic finals. The 19-year-old’s memorable streak included a fourth place in the S13 100m butterfly the previous Thursday, before clinching her first medal with a silver in the S13 100m backstroke on Friday, and a bronze in the S13 200m individual medley on Tuesday. Emergence of the complete report is being awaited.