Limerick swimmer wins gold at European Para Swimming Championships

FRESH from her silver medal success on Sunday, Limerick swimmer Róisín Ní Riain produced a personal best swim to win gold in the 100m breaststroke final at the 2024 European Para Swimming Championships in the Penteada Olympic Pools Complex in Funchal Portugal on Monday evening.

Drombanna woman Ní Riain said after claiming gold for Ireland: “That was a pretty good swim, happy with the time and a great race. I always think the hundred breaststroke is a fun one for me just to get out and race. I love the event so I’m very pleased with that”.

In a swim that was again agonisingly close to her personal best of 01:06:00 on Sunday, the Limerick swimmer finished the final in a time of 01:06.32 to claim the silver medal in the Women's 100m Butterfly S13 final.

Eighteen-year-old Ní Riain, from Drombanna, is in her first year studying Sports Science at the University of Limerick. Speaking after that final Ní Riain said, “I think maybe I would have liked the time to be a little bit faster you know I’ll have to go back and have a look and see what I can improve going forward for the rest of the year and leading into the summer.”

The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer was the first Irish swimmer to feature at the meet, advancing to Sunday's final from her heat in first place with 1:06.70.

The Limerick teenager recently returned from a three week stint in Australia where she won five gold medals at the Citi Para Swimming World Series in Melbourne, leading Ireland to achieve second place on the overall medals table.

This haul of medals has led her to sign with Team Visa, the worldwide payment technology partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ni Riain broke her first long-course world record at the World Series in Berlin in May 2023.