There’s a reason ‘on the day’ is an integral part of sporting parlance when it comes to performance, a reckoning between preparation and the ability to execute and excel in competition. Niamh McCarthy finished fifth in the F41 discus final in Tokyo, five years on from winning a silver medal in the Rio Paralympics.
The 27-year-old Cork thrower has been a serial medallist in the interim, two gold at European Championships (2018, 2020), and a silver and bronze, at the Worlds in 2017 and 2019. She threw 26.67m to win in Brazil and has since moved her personal best to 32.67m. A 31.18m metres throw earlier in the summer would have comfortably won a bronze medal in Tokyo.
It wasn’t to be, she had to be satisfied with a six round effort of 28.94m in a competition in which the world record was broken on three occasions. Defending champion Roaua Tlili from Tunisia took gold with her final throw of 37.91m to overtake Morocco’s Youssra Karim, 37:35m, whose team-mate Hayat El Garaa took bronze with 29:30m.
McCarthy offered a little insight into what’s been a challenging time for her over the last few years. “I’m happy with my performance. I know other people were expecting better things but it’s been a very hard few years.
“Had the Games gone ahead last year I wouldn’t have been in them. I’ve been trying for years to get back to where I used to be so it’s been a difficult time. I’ve changed as a person.
“That’s not to say that those strengths aren’t there but they’re not with me right now in the quantity that I’d like so I’m happy to just have made it to this competition. It was touch-and-go so I’m really proud of myself.”
There was a valedictory tone to the interview when the Carrigaline woman was asked whether the Paris Paralympics in three years was on the agenda. “I don’t think that you will be seeing me in Paris. I’d love to be involved but maybe not as an athlete. I have done really good things with my career. I am not trying to prove anything to anyone else.
“Things did change [in] the last few years. That’s been the hardest thing for me trying to adapt to ‘I’m not this new athlete who is getting medals every competition’. That’s changed and it has been [about] trying to learn who I am and who I have become.
“I got into this sport old in comparison to some. I have had an amazing career so far and I am not saying I’m over but I know that I have got things in my career that I wanted. Things change and you reassess. That is what I will do when I go home,” she said before declaring that the tears that filled here eye “were happy ones”.
At the other end of the scale, Ireland’s youngest and busiest Paralympian, 16-year-old Róisín Ní Ríain completed her programme in the pool with yet another personal best in finishing seventh in the final of the SB13 100m breaststroke; six events, five finals and multiple personal bests underline what has been a marvellous effort from the Limerick teenager.
Ellen Keane brought her Games to a close with another PB swim, this time in the 200m Individual Medley where she finished fifth. The 26-year-old who won a gold medal in the SB8 100m breaststroke earlier in the week said: "I can feel the emotions creeping in so yeah it's been a great Games"
“I really want to say a big thank you to everyone at home who has cheered me on and cheered the whole team on and I just want to give a special mention to my team-mate Patrick [Monahan] who hasn’t started his Games yet so he is in the pool [on Thursday].”
Barry McClements, swimming in his final event, finished fourth in the heats of the men’s SM9 200m individual medley and missed out on a place in the final.
Gary O’Reilly almost won a second medal to go with the bronze one he claimed when finishing fourth in the H5 road-race and thereby bringing a memorable first Paralympic Games to a close on a personal level.
Philip Eaglesham finished 21st in the SH2 R5 competition on the 10m range but his attention will now turn to his favoured event – he won a bronze medal at the Worlds – the R4 Mixed which moves back to a 50m range. It takes place on Saturday.
