DEARBHAILE BRADY BROUGHT down the curtain on the World Para Swimming European Championships by claiming bronze, securing her fourth medal of the week and Ireland’s seventh overall at the championships.

Brady headed into tonight’s 100m Breaststroke (SB6) final ranked as the third-fastest qualifier. With three silver medals already to her name, the Derry native had her sights set on adding a fourth medal to her impressive championship haul. Sitting fourth at the turn, Brady produced a strong second half of the race, powering home to touch the wall in 1:44.49 and claim the bronze medal. In doing so, she shaved more than two and a half seconds off the lifetime best she had set in the morning heats.

The National Centre (Dublin) swimmer said: “I feel tired, I forgot how tiring the 100m breaststroke can be. I’m happy with a bronze, it’s not one of my best events, I like to swim it to see where I’m at. I went to Europeans in 2024 with four events and came out with one medal, so there’s a big difference two years later.”

Lifetime bests 

Róisín Ní Riain headed to the main stage for the 400m Freestyle (S13) final. The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer clocked 4:49.19 to finish fifth overall. The result marked the end of a successful championship campaign for Ní Riain, who returns home with one gold and two silver European medals.

Luke O’Donoghue had a senior international debut to remember, setting lifetime bests on two consecutive occasions in the 100m Backstroke (S9). After lowering his personal best in the heats to secure a place in the final, the Kerry man went even quicker in the evening session, touching the wall in 1:08.42 to finish eighth overall.

Limerick native Ellie Lynch stepped onto the European stage to make her debut appearance at a senior international competition for Ireland. Lynch had to contend with a lengthy wait before donning the Irish cap, with her sole event, the 100m Backstroke (S9), scheduled for the final session of the championships. The Celtic Waves swimmer clocked a time of 1:23.20 to finish seventh in her first outing on the European stage.

National Para Swimming head coach Hayley Burke said: “It’s been a great week for the team. We’ve won seven medals through Róisín Ní Riain and Dearbhaile Brady, but we’ve also recorded 19 personal best times across the team as a whole, which for me shows that this group knows how and when to step up.

“This team has trained for 13 months to get to this championship, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. To deliver performances like these under those circumstances deserves real recognition. I want to commend both the swimmers and their coaches for their persistence and commitment.”