TWO MEDALS IN five minutes. Five minutes and 36 seconds, to be precise.
First Róisín Ní Riain at La Défense Arena. Then Orla Comerford at Stade de France.
A few short minutes, and Team Ireland had doubled their medal tally at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Ní Riain won her second medal in the SM13 200m Individual Medley final before Comerford powered to a brilliant bronze in the T13 100m.
“Does anyone know how Róísín got on?” Comerford enquired in the middle of her brilliant post-race interview.
Third too!
“We are bronze sisters tonight,” she beamed. “Oh my God, wow. That is even more exciting. I can’t wait to congratulate Róisín now.”
Ní Riain reacted similarly at the pool. “Oh, that’s absolutely wonderful, both at the same time. That’s wonderful to hear for Orla. I couldn’t be happier!
“Great night for Team Ireland. And hopefully, there may be some more to come.”
This was Comerford’s first Paralympic medal at her third Games. The Dubliner, who has Stargardt’s disease, a degenerative condition that affects her central vision, clocked a time of 11.94 — 0.04 of a second off her personal best — to take a brilliant bronze.
Azerbaijan’s Lamiya Valiyeva secured the gold medal in a world record time of 11.76, while Brazil’s Rayan Soares da Silva was second in 11.78, which also would have broken the mark.
Comerford shared her initial disappointment post-race, having targetted that Rio 2016 record herself, but then moved towards delight amidst a whirlwind of emotions.
She remembered her former coach Brian Corcoran, who died in the build-up to the Tokyo Paralympics, and another late friend, Elaine Moran, who passed away when they were 16 just over a decade ago.
Corcoran’s wife Connie and son Rob watched on amidst huge Irish support in the stands. “I think Brian would be proud,” Comerford smiled amidst tears. “I hope they are proud.”
The Raheny Shamrock star also poignantly spoke about her friend Elaine. She wore green, white and orange hair clips as she won her heat this morning, but donned blue ribbons in a lovely final tribute.
“They are for my friend Elaine. When we were in school, Elaine passed away very suddenly. We were 16. She was a big Dubs fan so she wore blue ribbons. At her funeral, we all wore blue ribbons in our hair.
“Her parents set up a foundation with Heart Children Ireland called the Blue Ribbon Fund, so every time I step out on the track for the big moments, I always have her in my hair.
“This morning I had her on my spikes, I had them tied into my laces. It is always on a backpack or something, I always like to carry her with me. We had her 10-year anniversary last year, which feels incredibly surreal, I like to have her with me.”
Elaine was there every step of the way of the 11.94 seconds. And Brian.
Comerford finished eighth in Rio and missed out on the final in Tokyo after an extremely difficult period. She endured a torrid run of injuries thereafter, forced to come off the track completely for eight months due to persistent hamstring issues, but has now etched her name into Irish track history.
Taking the mantel from Paralympic sprinting legend Jason Smyth, it must be all the sweeter for Comerford given where she was a few short years ago.
Initial disappointment when she crossed the line soon dissipated, but she still outlined her intentions to use this as “fuel” for LA 2028.
“Good God if you had told me then [Tokyo] you’d get a medal at this one, I would have jumped for joy so I just think I have high expectations for myself. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, I think that’s a good thing — but I am delighted.”
From flag-bearer to medal winner, it has been an incredible few days.
The plan now is simple: O’Sullivans By The Mill in Montmartre, Team Ireland House for Paris 2024.
“I went down and saw everyone earlier, and as I left them, I said, I’ll see you in the pub, so they better have a pint waiting for me,” Comerford smiles.
Much to celebrate.
‘Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé… Orla, Orla,’ rings around outside Stade de France. It’ll go long into the night.
And rightly so. What a journey.
For Orla and for Róisín. Ireland’s bronze sisters.
It is incredible what these athletes do.
It is also unfortunate that they are following Euro 2024 and the Summer Olympics.