It was an evening to remember for Ireland at the Paralympics on Tuesday, as two bronze medals were secured within half an hour in Paris.
Team Ireland entered the day on two medals thus far, with Roisín Ní Riain winning silver in the S13 100m backstroke, and Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal taking silver in the 3000m individual pursuit.
Ní Riain was in action yet again on Tuesday night in the 200m individual medley final, and was to play an amazing part in a memorable 30 minutes for Irish sport.
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Orla Comerford and Roisín Ní Riain win bronze for Ireland in Paris
First up on a sensational Paralympics Tuesday evening for Ireland was Roisín Ní Riain in the S13 200m individual medley final.
A strong opening to the race saw Ní Riain enter the freestyle leg (the final 50m of the race) narrowly ahead of Uzbekh swimmer Shokhsanamkhon Toshpulatova in third place.
Under fierce pressure from the chasing pack, Ní Riain held on to claim bronze - her second medal of these Paris Games - by just 0.08 of a second.
Róisín Ní Riaín held on to take bronze in the Women's SM13 200m individual medley, adding to the silver medal she already won at #paris2024 #RTEparalympics
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📱Updates https://t.co/nBSbBucybs pic.twitter.com/ubXu3C1PxI— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 3, 2024
Speaking to RTÉ after the race, Ní Riain said she was ecstatic to finally come out on top in a close finish in the individual medley.
I would say that's a "finally!" swim. I've been on the wrong side of the I.M. touches for the last three years. To be able to come out and finally come out on the right side...I couldn't be happier.
Roisín Ní Riain still has one more event left in the Paralympics, with the heats of the 100m breaststroke getting underway on Thursday at 10:07 Irish time.
The Irish joy in Paris was not to end there, with another bronze medal following hot on the heels of Ní Riain's success in the pool.
Orla Comerford had come through her heat in first place earlier on Tuesday and was the third-fastest qualifier overall for the T13 100m final in the Stade de France.
She would deliver on her strong morning form with an assured run to third place and bronze in this evening's final, claiming the fourth medal of these Paralympics for Team Ireland.
Watch as Orla Comerford in a time of 11.94 won bronze for Ireland in the 100m T13 at the Paralympic Games #RTEparalympics #paris2024
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📱Updates https://t.co/nBSbBucybs pic.twitter.com/eZHkTk4XnN— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 3, 2024
Both sprinters ahead of Comerford in the final broke the previous world record, showing just how historically quick this race had been.
Comerford told RTÉ after the final that she felt there was even more to come from her in the future, saying that she was thrilled to win bronze even if it was not the colour medal she had been hoping for.
I knew a year ago, looking at this, it was going to take a world record to win this.
That's what I had my eyes on so I feel like, for myself, I've fallen short of that. But I don't doubt that that's in me, I don't doubt that I have more. I'm just excited to put the grind in for the next four years and hopefully come away with the medal I've always dreamed of.
Despite Comerford's disappointment, it truly was a night to remember for Team Ireland at the Paralympics - and there may yet be more to come in the coming days.
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