Róisín Ní Riain was just 16 when she made her Paralympic debut in Tokyo, the new kid on the blocks at poolside.
The teenager competed in six events during those 2021 Games and qualified for five finals. Ní Riain didn’t medal in Tokyo, but she announced herself.
In the three years since, the Limerick native has become a medal magnet. She is the current World Para swimming 100-metre backstroke champion and Ní Riain also holds the world record in the 200-metre backstroke.
At the Para swimming European Championships in April of this year, she returned home from Madeira in Portugal with five medals, including two gold. Ní Riain, who has a vision impairment, will compete in four events at this year’s Games – including the S13 100-metre butterfly on day one of competition on Thursday. She will also be in action on Friday in the S13 100-metre backstroke.
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“For me, the last time around in Tokyo, it was all about going and taking in everything, getting the experience,” says the 19-year-old University of Limerick (UL) student, who is studying to become a science teacher.
“Even over the couple of years after Tokyo, Worlds and Europeans, I definitely think I’ve learned so much more every time I swim.
“I’m a bit older now, there’s definitely a little bit more pressure and expectation that comes with that. But for me, I always try and bring it back to doing as well as I can do and being happy with that. At the end of the day, I go out there to swim my best, swim PBs, and see where that gets me then.”
In terms of her development, Ní Riain swam a time of 1:09.26 in the 100-metre butterfly at the Tokyo Games. On her way to a podium finish at the European Championships in April this year, she swam 1:06.32.
On Thursday she has a realistic shot at becoming Ireland’s first medallist at this year’s Paralympics.
“That sometimes brings pressure in itself – the feeling of having to perform on the day,” Ní Riain says of the growing expectations around her since Tokyo.
“It’s just about being able to go out and keep a level head, not get too nervous. Being able to enjoy it as well is something that’s really important for me, go out and have a smile on my face before I stand up on the blocks each time.
“I’m there because I love what I’m doing and I love the sport of swimming. It’s just about remembering that, not getting too nervous, and that’s what will lead to me being able to perform at my best.”
But Ní Riain is certainly not Ireland’s only medal hope in the pool on the opening day of the Games. Nicole Turner and Dearbhaile Brady will both compete in the S6 50-metre freestyle on Thursday at the La Défense Arena.
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Brady is the baby of the group this time around – the Derry swimmer is just 17 but enters her first Paralympic Games on the back of winning bronze in the 50-metre freestyle at the European Championships this year. Turner (21) won silver in the 50-metre butterfly in Tokyo three years ago and at the Europeans in Portugal this season she claimed one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Both Brady and Turner are short stature.
“Back way before Tokyo, I didn’t know there was such a thing as the Paralympics,” says Brady.
“I didn’t know the Paralympics existed until I started learning a bit more about Nicole. I watched her in Tokyo, that’s how I got to see there was such a thing as the Paralympics.
“I actually didn’t know anything about Ellen [Keane] or Róisín until after Tokyo – the only person I knew in the Paralympics was Nicole.
“There was a thing called Little People of Ireland and I used to see Nicole over the years at it. There’s a photo of me and Nicole from a few years ago with her medal.”
Brady now gets the chance to win one of her own in Paris.
More than most, Ní Riain can understand the wide-eyed excitement Brady is experiencing this week, for that was the role she herself filled before her maiden Games three years ago. Now, on the eve of her second Paralympic Games, Ní Riain is putting all her focus on delivering a performance in the pool.
“Every time I go out to race, I treat it the same. My goal is always to give it my best, and hopefully come out with a PB because at the end of the day that’s as much as I can do. I can’t control anyone else or anything else that’s happening.
“Setting goals and being able to achieve those goals, always having something to work towards, is what keeps you going.
“All the work that I’ve put in gives me the confidence to know that I’ve put everything in over the last couple of years. Hopefully it will pay off on the day.”
