Brave Roisin Ni Riain less than a second off World Championship medal

LIMERICK swimmer Róisín Ní Riain was less than a second off a world medal on Tuesday night after a brave performance saw her finish in fourth.

Irish Para swimmers featured in two finals on night two of the World Para Swimming European Championships in Kocaeli, Türkiye, as Ní Riain and Emersyn Scully continued their championship campaigns on the European stage.

Paralympian Róisín Ní Riain returned to the blocks this evening to compete in the 100m Breaststroke Final (SB13).

The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer demonstrated her resilience in recent months, overcoming injury concerns to ensure she would represent Ireland at these championships.

Ní Riain entered tonight's final as the fourth-fastest qualifier and delivered another strong swim, touching in 1:18.96 to finish fourth, just eight-tenths of a second shy of the podium.

Speaking in the mixed zone, Ní Riain said: “I’m happy enough with that swim. I’ve had a pretty tough year, and I’ve been dealing with an injury for most of it.

“My goal was simply to make it to this competition. A few weeks and months ago, I didn’t think I would be here, so for me the goal was to get here, and anything that came after that was a bonus.

“To be able to put down a good time like that, I’m absolutely delighted.”

She added: “This preparation has obviously been quite different. I was out of the pool for a little while and spent a lot of time on the bike. It’s been a very different preparation, but also a learning curve.

“Anything I can get out of this week is a bonus. For me, diving in for that first race this morning was a goal in itself. I’m happy with tonight's swim and hopefully it's something we can build on throughout the week.”