FOURTH. SURELY NOT. Not again.
The luck of the Irish? Pfft.
Déjà-vu at Paris 2024. We start the Paralympics just like we finished the Olympics three weeks ago.
Róisín Ní Riain joins Rhasidat Adeleke, the women’s 4x400m relay team, and sailors, Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove, on the agonising list. The list that no one wants to be on.
But the Limerick 19-year-old was generally upbeat in the mixed zone after her Women’s S13 100m Butterfly final, in which she clocked 1:06.04, just outside her personal best of 1:06 flat.
“I’m happy with that swim,” she began. “I would have liked to have been maybe under my PB, but it’s as close as you can get so I’m happy with that for Day One.”
Most people would be disappointed with fourth, though? Is it not the worst position in sport, as is often said?
“Look, I don’t think of it as a disappointing place to finish,” Ní Riain, a five-time European medallist this year, told The 42.
“It’s a place higher than I went into the heats this morning. It’s my first event of every championship, it’s just an enjoyable one for me. Hopefully I’ll build on that for the rest of the week.”
Starting tomorrow evening, when she returns to La Défense Arena for the S13 100m Backstroke final, in which she is the reigning world champion.
It won’t be the case in Friday’s straight shootout, but the aim is always to improve on your morning swim, Ní Riain stressed. She did that — she was fifth overall in the heats in 1:06.40 — so she’s happy. She held the same position halfway through the showpiece and typically finished strong, closing in on Muslima Odilova of Uzbekistan, but couldn’t squeeze onto the podium. Italy’s Carlotta Gilli and Grace Nuhfer of USA took gold and silver in 1:03.27 and 1:03.88 respectively, well clear of Odilova, who clocked 1:05.43.
It was the second final with Irish involvement of the evening, as former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was among those watching on.
Preceding Ní Riain, a crestfallen Nicole Turner finished sixth in the 50m Freestyle.
After qualifying from this morning’s heats in a time of 35.35, the European champion and three-time Paralympian spoke of her intention to “get closer to, if not better” her personal best of 34.00. But 35.65 was marginally further away, and in her own words, an “underperformance”.
In a sharp contrast to Ní Riain, Turner was visibly upset as she spoke to the Irish press — though she did echo some of her team-mates sentiments.
“That was tough, I’m not going to lie,” she said, her voice breaking and tears held back. “The aim of the final is to get faster than the heat swim. That didn’t go my way today. At this moment in time, I can’t tell you why.
“But that’s the reality of sport. There’s the highest of highs, but there’s also the lowest of lows. I’m sure I will look back on today and see how I can improve on that performance, but an initial reaction is that it is quite bitter at this moment in time.”
The Laois 22-year-old made a strong start, but faded down the home straight as China’s Jiang Yuan won gold in style, clocking her second Paralympic record of the day in 32.59. USA star Ellie Marks and world record holder, Anna Hontar of Ukraine, joined Yuan on the podium.
“I think my first 25 was quite good, but I think I just drifted in the last 25 — and when you are a 50m sprinter, 25 metres is half of the race, so that can take a lot away from you,” Turner, who insisted she has “absolutely no regrets” preparation-wise, assessed.
She finished eighth in this event in Tokyo, her faster time of 35.29 there surely galling.
Across the board, the standards are ever-increasing. Never an excuse, but perhaps one might find solace in that.
“The reality is the competition is just getting fiercer and fiercer,” Turner, who was seventh on her Rio debut, said.
“I think people looked at me as a young 14-year-old coming through, I am now 22, and there are young 14-year-olds coming through who are catching up on me, so I think it is the reality of sport — you can’t take your head off the line.
“I’m not saying I have done, but it is just quite challenging, especially being in the spotlight as well and people… not necessarily expect but there is a bit of pressure. I’m not saying that’s bad but that’s what you have to block out and focus on your own race.”
Pressure. Expectation. Talk of medals. There has been plenty of outside noise and external factors, but Turner continues to block it out and look inward.
“I’ve tried putting enjoyment over anything else. A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer. It is the Paralympic Games after all, it is the highest level you can get to in Para sport. I do need to enjoy myself on the other side to bring out that best performance.”
She’s hoping it will come on Tuesday when she competes in her stronger 50m Butterfly event. “This will be switched off,” she insisted.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Same applies for Ní Riain — who fielded similar questions on standards and expectation, but gave little away.
She is laser-focused, completely dialled in, ahead of a particularly big one. The Friday Night Lights will be brighter than ever.
“I go into every race with the same attitude. I want to give every race my best,” she concluded.
“Whatever that is, I’ll be happy with that in the end.”
Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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