ON ANOTHER BUSY day for Team Ireland in Tokyo, there’s been more strong performances in the pool while Kerrie Leonard, the first Irish archer to compete in a Paralympic or Olympic Games in 13 years, has bowed out, with Philip Eaglesham also taking part in the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Stand qualifier. Welcome to the latest of our overnight updates from the Paralympic Games.
The Irish Eye
Team Ireland had three swimmers in action this morning, and all three have advanced to their respective finals in Tokyo.
Barry McClements was first up, registering a second personal best in as many events as he clocked a time of 1:06.31 to come in fourth in his S9 100m Backstroke Heat, and eighth overall. The Co Down man will now compete in his first Paralympic final at 9.14am this morning.
“I’m good after that,” the 19-year-old said. “I qualified and a PB. Happy, five days since I was in the pool racing. So it’s just about keeping ticking over.
“I always have the speed to go out fast. Just coming back I died a little bit but I set a personal best and qualified.”
Nicole Turner will also swim for a medal in the S6 50m butterfly final at 9.58am today, the Laois swimmer finishing second fastest overall in the heats, with her time of 36.54 seconds only bettered by a world record performance from China’s Yuyan Jiang.
“That went really well,” Turner, 19, said. “This is my favourite event and to qualify second fastest, when I thought I would qualify third, that really drives me and I can’t wait for the final this evening.”
Róisín Ní Ríain, the youngest member of Team Ireland, finished third in her heat of the S13 200m Individual Medley with a time of 2:34.24, with the 16-year-old due back in the pool for her final at 11.42am.
“It was okay, an alright swim, I would have liked it to be a bit faster but I got another chance tonight,” she said. “Hopefully I can do well then.”
And while it was all good news for the Irish swimmers, Kerrie Leonard’s Paralympics came to an end as the archer bowed out in the women’s Individual Compound Open 1/8 Eliminations.
The Co Meath native was in contention throughout her head-to-head match with Artakhinova of the Russian Paralympic Committee, but in the third end Leonard paid the price for shooting a 24 as Artakhinova registered a 29. Leonard responded with a 29 to win the next end but it wasn’t enough to overturn the Russian, who advanced on a score of 141-131.
Speaking after the event, Leonard was hugely proud of her superb performances in Tokyo.
“It’s amazing to have made the last 16 in the Paralympics and it shows, if you’re given the opportunity, just how much you can do if you go for it.”
In shooting, Philip Eaglesham finished in 14th place overall in the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Stand qualifiers with a personal best score of 626.6.
Who else is making headlines?
Wheelchair racer Andrew Small grabbed Paralympic gold for Great Britain after blitzing his rivals in the men’s T33 100m final.
Small powered to victory in a time of 17.73 seconds on day six of the Games after flying out of the blocks at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
The blistering start proved crucial as defending champion Ahmad Almutairi of Kuwait threatened to snatch victory by closing the sizeable gap, only to cross the line a tenth of a second behind.
Small’s success was an upgrade on the bronze he won behind Almutairi at Rio 2016, with third place on the podium on this occasion going to his GB team-mate Harri Jenkins in a season’s best 18.55secs.
“I entered the race, I don’t ever expect outcomes, I just go and do it and see what happens and hey ho this is where we got,” the 28-year-old told Channel 4.
“I normally have a Garfield brought to me where ‘I hate Mondays’, so I may have to change that now.”
Victory for Small brought ParalympicsGB’s 24th gold of the Games.
Picture of the day
Mexico’s Monica Olivia Rodriguez Saavedra and her guide celebrate winning the Women’s 1500 metres T11 final at the Olympic Stadium.
Your must-see Paralympic schedule for today
It’s all eyes on the pool again with three Irish swimmers in finals today. Barry McClements will be out in the 100m backstroke final at 9.14am, with Nicole Turner next up in the 50m butterfly at 9.58am, before Róisín Ní Ríain competes in the 200m Individual Medley final at 11.42am.
-additional reporting by PA & Paralympics Ireland
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Cannot wait for this.
watching this in Tenerife on Sunday can’t wait COYBIB
Cian o Sullivan won’t start Sunday.
Looking forward to it, should be a great game
Great looking bench !!! …would be nice if full team plus subs could parade ….it’s a 15 plus subs game nowadays
Come on the DUBS!
Still 31 against 1. That’s cool! We Dubs are invincible!
Hope the traffic wasn’t too bad for you heading home for the weekend!
Please park responsibly when you come to Dublin for the All-Ireland! You ain’t at home, we’ll clamp your a$$!
Come on you Boys in Blue
johnny cooper to be booked within first 20 mins then taken off in second half to avoid being sent off
Think Michael Fitzsimons is unlucky not to start, he may not be the most naturally gifted player, but he is the one Dub that can keep Gooch out of the game with his exceptional marking ability.
Not deserving of an all Ireland win..Kerry to show their greatness
Why are they not deserving of an All Ireland win?
How they disgraced themselves against Mayo
If you remember both teams disgraced themselves in the drawn game ! In the replay the game was played in the spirit of the sport and the dubs came out on top ! Jealous and petty dub bashers
One of the top 2 teams in the country. Anyone that tries to say they’re not deserving of an All Ireland based on one game where BOTH teams were far from behaving like choir boys is talking waffle. As for the original comment, you’re from Tralee, that answers my question.
Brian are you deserving of your mot
I cant wait till sunday.hopefully quieten these fellas for a decade. #sammightaswellhavestayedathome #hopehegotareturnticket
Winning on Sunday will quieten us for a decade? Haha ok then! Oh and save the hashtags for Twitter.
#we’llsee #superiormidfield #superiorforwards #whatstheoddsofconnollylastingthegame #mustbesomethinginthewater #surewe’lltakethemarkhamcupalso
You uninteresting bore.
Never met an interesting one to be honest.
Well Bernard! Hope you got to put your feet up on the empty seat booked for Sam’s return trip home?? I think those ‘superior forwards’ of yours must have left their kicking boots at home! Brian, what happened to this greatness Kerry we’re going to show us?!?!
Kerry for your holliers Dublin for the Sam! Wan the Dubs!!!!!!!
Two players from the South side, yeah lets split the county in two.
3 actually
3 actually, o carroll, o Sullivan and Bastick.
Thumbs up there Eamo
Macauley , McManamon,Byrne .Ó Conghaile and Fitzsimons as well
3 from south side clubs which is how it would be divided I presume.
Kind of goes to show what a stupid idea it would be.
And one from Meath
We’ve actually annexed Meath so your comment is null and void.
We’d love an all-Ireland….all Ireland would hate that…..C.O.Y.B.I.B.
We’ll be marching down from Ringsend,
And from Ballyfermot too.
From Eastwall and Marino,
To support the boys in Blue.
For 2 long years we’ve waited
and there’s nothing left to prove
So lets here it now from Dublin
Gavin’s army’s on the loose.
The Jacks are back!
Not much of a march from eastwall to Marino.
Will be interesting to see if O’Sullivan starts. If he’s not fully fit don’t start him, not worth using a sub earlier than planned because he’s not fully fit. Fingers crossed he’s ready and able!
He is starting Aideen
No, he’s named to start. Whether he starts on the day is a whole other story. Team sheets can change on the day.
Aideen the only way you can start an individual in the GAA with questions over fitness is from the start. There is no other way. If he has to be subbed so be it, but if you don’t start him, bring him on as a sub and he has to come off again, your down another sub.
Fair point! I should have worded that ‘if he’s not fit don’t play him’.
That depends on the nature of the injury to be fair, it’s a blow if he’s skinned and gone after 10 mins but if he has an hour of football in him it’s worth a shot.
But there’s no way of knowing if he has an hour of football in him till you put him out there and hope. I can’t imagine he’s been able to prove himself by running rings around everyone in training, it’s only been 12 days – it’s all about deciding whether it’s worth the risk I suppose!
Two superb teams.losing Marc and Paul murphy massive body blows for us but IN FITZ WE TRUST.. CIARRAI ABU
IMO McAuley should be starting
both defences to be in bother! kerrys better forwards to shade it In my view
It will be a game of bench warfare very tight to call. whoever gets the most impact from the bench will win hope its the dubs . . . COYBIB
Kerry hoping to give Dublin a game.
Unusual to hear Kerry given a hope, ye must be rattled!
Do the business, Dean Rock
Michael dara is goin to start for certain
I wouldn’t be so sure. Bastick is better at playing the holding role and generally a bit better defensively than Michael dara. McCauley could be the winning of it if it’s still tight in the last 20 mins if he comes on fresh. At his best he’s a nightmare to play against and would give Dublin a huge lift and Kerry won’t love seeing him come on fresh if the game is still in the melting pot
Come on the dubs!!!!!!!!!
Yerra, hopefully we’ll keep it close in the first half, and shur we’d be delighted to come within ten points.
gavin has never started the 15 he picked on friday he’s fooling nobody
Osullivan done his hammer less than two weeks ago he can’t possibly play on it , he’s gonna make it worse and miss the club championship doubt hel be risked but if so start him and see how long he lasts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VTn2PCxn8&sns=em
Michael Donnellan of Galway would walk onto that team