Bronze Tuesday: Comerford and Ní Riain win medals for Ireland at Paralympics
S13 Way Ní To 200m T13 Winning Medallists: Erford Ireland's In Celebrates 100m Bronze Ireland's Medley Winning The Sportsfile Orla Pictures: Riain Her On Bronze; Róisín
Ireland collected two medals in the first five days of these Paralympic Games. Then in a five-minute spell on Tuesday evening, they collected two more. Two bronze to go with the earlier won two silver.
Five minutes after Roísín Ní Riain stormed to third in the SM13 200m individual medley at the La Défense Arena, Orla Comerford broke the 12-second barrier for the second time in her career to win bronze in the T13 100m final.
Having failed to emerge from her heat three years ago in Tokyo, this bronze medal represents a quantum leap forward for 26-year-old Dubliner Comerford.
The race was won by Lamiya Valiyeva of Azerbaijan in a world record 11.76.
The same as she won Ireland’s first medal of these Games, it was Ní Riain who began Tuesday's medal-winning exploits.
19-year-old Ní Riain produced a huge lifetime best of 2:27.47 to get back on the podium. Fourth after the butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke legs, the Limerick teenager overtook Shokhsanamkhon Toshpulatova of Uzbekistan in the final freestyle leg to clinch bronze by eight hundredths of a second.
There was no medal joy for the three Irish pool finalists that preceded Ní Riain. Dearbhaile Brady and Nicole Turned touched fifth and sixth respectively in the S6 50m butterfly final, with Barry Clements eighth in the S9 100m backstroke.
For 17-year-old Brady, she marked her debut Paralympic Games final with a 37.67 PB.
“Delighted with that,” said Brady. “I’m a lot faster than I was last year, that’s how much I’ve changed. I wasn’t too nervous. I decided it’s the final and I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I went out to enjoy it. I’m really happy how I finished.” Turner’s 38.59 over two seconds down on the 36.30 she swam for silver in this event in Tokyo.
“If I’m honest I just wanted to go out and enjoy that race. AndI did, but I the last couple of metres I just didn’t have it in me,” the 22-year-old reflected.
“The podium would have been nice today but it just didn’t happen. I planned to get quicker off the block and I didn’t feel that bad but I’ve worked so hard to be here and for that I’m delighted to be in Paris.”