Róisín Ní Riain has earned the title of world champion after claiming gold in the 100m Backstroke final (S13) at the Para Swimming World Championships.
In a personal best swim of 01:06:62, the Limerick swimmer edged out her competition by 0.09 of a second to finish in first place.
“Róisín Ní Riain is the World Champion”
We like the sound of that 🔥🙌🏻🏅 https://t.co/8qwmMeyjvt— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) August 3, 2023
Speaking after her gold medal swim Ní Riain said, “I really don’t know what to say to be honest, I’m absolutely delighted with that swim. Very unexpected but it’s a lovely surprise. I think after that 100m breaststroke I felt like I had something to prove after missing the bronze by just a half a second so I’m glad that I was able to come out tonight and prove that point.”
Róisín Ní Riain got Team Ireland’s Para Swimming World Championships off to a flying start by also setting a new personal best, winning a silver medal, and securing a slot for Team Ireland in the 100m Butterfly at the Paris 2024 Games on 31 July. Her time of 01:06.00 saw her shave over two seconds off her previous fastest time to claim silver.
Watch Róisín Ní Riain claim silver in her 100m Butterfly Final! 🥈🔥🇮🇪#TheNextLevel | #ThePlaceForGreatness | #TeamIreland | #RaisingANation https://t.co/cTrkZR5Bnt
— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) July 31, 2023
Speaking after her event Róisín said, “I’m really shocked to be honest! I love this swim as it’s not too much pressure for me. That’s my first PB in that event since Tokyo, I’ve been stuck there for a while so it’s nice to get a PB. I think this was kind of unexpected tonight, but it came as a nice surprise, but it definitely takes some of the pressure off for the rest of the week.”
Ni Riain has easily been the busiest of Team Ireland as she pencilled in to swim in five events over the course of the week. She narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke on Tuesday but will still be competing in the 400m Freestyle and 200 IM this weekend.
We were honoured to have Róisín join us on the Her Sport Show. Watch the full inspiring episode here:
Team Ireland Para Swimming World Championships Schedule:
Day 2 (August 1)
20:15 - Roisin Ni Riain: 100m Breaststroke Final (event 47)
Day 3 (August 2)
Nicole Turner: 200m IM Final (event 65)
Barry McClements: 100m Butterfly Heat (event 66)
Day 4 (August 3)
Roisin Ni Riain: 100m Backstroke Final (event 84)
Day 5 (August 4)
Nicole Turner: 50m Freestyle Heat (event 122)
Barry McClements: 400m Freestyle Heat (event 105)
Day 6 (August 5)
Roisin Ni Riain: 400m Freestyle Heat (event 127)
Nicole Turner: 100m Breaststroke Final (event 144)
Barry McClements: 100m Backstroke Heat (event 143)
Day 7 (August 6)
Roisin Ni Riain: 200m IM Heat (event 160)
Ellen Keane: 100m Breaststroke Heat (event 150)
Nicole Turner: 50m Butterfly Final (event 166)
Dearbhaile Brady: 50m Butterfly Final (event 166)
