No separating Ellen Keane and rival Whiston ahead of final showdown
Ellen La Arena Paris, First France Sb8 Pic: Joint At Sportsfile 100m Ireland Défense Keane Her After In Women's Of In Finishing Breaststroke Heat
A first look at Ellen Keane. A first look at gold medal rival Brock Whiston. A first look for them at each other. The decision was to give nothing away.
In the second of Friday morning’s S8 100m breaststroke heats, Tokyo Paralympic champion Keane and world record holder Whiston occupied the middle two lanes.
There was never going to be an issue over either progressing to this evening’s final. It was simply a case of what statement, if any, they wanted to put out. Neither, in the end, made any notable declaration. They didn’t need to.
Keane turned at halfway in first, Whiston over half a second down. The Brit, competing in her debut Games as she did not go to Tokyo because of eligibility and classification issues, pulled up alongside the Clontarf swimmer early in the second half. At one point she even titled the head left to glance at Keane.
The pair went stroke for stroke all the way to the wall. 1:24.59 for both. A dead heat.
Their time was not the fastest across the two heats, Spain’s 2023 World champion Anastasiya Dmytriv clocking 1:22.91 in the opener. It is among these three the medals will be shared.
For Keane and Whiston, 1:24 and change is almost training pace. Whiston’s 2019 world record is in 1:13-territory, Keane’s best is from when she dipped under the 1:20-mark - 1:19.93 - to win gold in Tokyo.
“1:24 is not as fast as I can go. I know I can go faster tonight. Had a little bit of fun with it. Was really in the moment. Really excited for tonight,” said Keane afterwards.
“I'm going to get my lactate checked now to see how high it is, and hopefully it won't be that high so my recovery will be nice and quick for tonight’s final.”
Her final leaves the blocks at 7.21pm. The hours between now and then will include a freezing cold ice bath, a buffet full of carbs, a nap, a physio rub, and the application of her game face for her final medal dance.
Keane always blocks out the noise when walking out onto the pool deck at major championships. This morning, and knowing that these are her last Games and that qualification would be straightforward, she pulled back the headphones and threw a wave to the far end of the La Défense Arena where 30 or so family and friends were perched.
“I pulled them back so I could hear the crowd and I could see the crowd. When you know you are in the faster end of the pack, you can kind of do those things, and I take that for granted a little bit. This is the last time I do it, so I may as well do it now if I am going to do it at all.”
A minute and a half later, she was a confirmed five-time Paralympian.
“I thought I was done after 2012! It's been incredible, it’s been an incredible career, I’m not done yet. It makes me feel like an absolute granny but I’m only 29. I’m so delighted with my career and I’m ready to move on but I’m very much in the moment and excited for that last swim.”
Half an hour before Keane’s final this evening, Roísín Ní Riain is also strongly tipped for a podium finish in the S13 100m backstroke. The Limerick teenager is the current world champion in the event.
A potentially special night in store.
Away from the pool and Ellen Keane at her ease in procuring a final ticket, Shauna Bocquet was the Irish highlight on the second morning of Paralympic action.
Opening Irish involvement on the purple track at the Stade de France, Bocquet spun herself to a final spot in the T54 5,000m.
Appearing in the second heat, where there were five big Qs up for grabs, she finished fourth in a time of 12:44.52. That time places her ninth of the 10 qualifiers for Saturday morning’s final.
Elsewhere around the French capital, the abounding theme was of just falling short. Kerrie Leonard lost out by only five shots, 140-135, in her archery elimination round against 2016 Paralympic champion Jiamin Zhou.
Out on the waters of the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, the PR2 mixed double sculls pairing of Katie O’Brien and Tiarnán O’Donnell finished fourth in their rain-delayed heat. Only the top two from either heat progressed to the final and so the Irish boat will return for Saturday morning’s Repechage. O’Brien and O’Donnell will need to be among the first two home there to make the decider.
Ronan Grimes pedaled a 1:06.411 lifetime best in the C4-5 1,000m time trial. The eighth place finish it earned him was a fraction off the leading six bikes that progressed to the medals event.
“It is nearly a three-second PB, that is nearly one second a lap. I did no training for this event either, so I think maybe that was it, no nerves, just enjoy it,” Grimes said afterwards.
The 35-year-old from Galway, who has club foot, is fancied to contend in tomorrow’s C4-5 4,000m individual pursuit, “The individual pursuit, that should suit me a bit better. Again, it is a stacked field but looking forward to that and the cobwebs are out. I know there is power in me, so looking forward to tomorrow.”