Thirty-Five Strong Irish Team Set to Compete in Paris Paralympics Eyeing More Big Medals
Ireland is sending a formidable 35-strong team to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, aiming to continue their impressive medal streak on the world stage. The Games, which kick off next week, will see Irish athletes compete across nine sports, with cycling leading the charge with 10 representatives. The Paralympics, which began in 1948 to support British World War II veterans, now features 549 events across 22 sports.
The Irish delegation includes six swimmers, five athletes, and five triathletes. The Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony, taking place at the iconic Place de la Concorde, will see table tennis star Colin Judge and sprinter Orla Comerford proudly carrying the Irish flag.
“Orla and Colin are two athletes who epitomize the hard work and dedication it takes to be a high-performance athlete,” said Chef de Mission Neasa Russell. “They have both achieved great things on the international stage, and there is much more to come from both of them. Moreover, they are great people and great leaders who perfectly demonstrate the qualities and values of Team Ireland.”
Among the Irish athletes with strong medal prospects is 19-year-old Róisín Ní Riain from Drombana, Co. Limerick. After making her Paralympic debut in Tokyo, Ní Riain has quickly become a force in para swimming. She is the current World Para Swimming 100m backstroke champion and holds the World Record in the 200m backstroke. This year alone, she has secured two gold, three silver, and one bronze medal at the Para Swimming European Championships.
Shauna Bocquet from Craughwell, Co. Galway, is another rising star. The para-athlete made her international debut at the Para Athletics World Championships last summer and has since set personal bests across multiple distances, including a blistering 1:48.42 in the 800m at the Wanda Diamond League in London.
Veteran swimmer Ellen Keane will be competing in her fifth and final Paralympic Games. Keane, who first took to the Paralympic stage as a 13-year-old in Beijing 2008, won her first medal at Rio 2016 with a bronze in the SB8 100m Breaststroke, followed by a gold in the same event in Tokyo.
Flag-bearer Orla Comerford has also had an illustrious career, with a European Championship bronze in the 100m and a strong showing at the most recent World Championships, where she finished fourth. Meanwhile, fellow flag-bearer Colin Judge is a medal contender in table tennis, having recently won silver at the Czech Open.
The Paris Paralympics , running from August 29th to September 8th, will be staged at the same iconic venues as the Paris 2024 Olympics, including Stade de France, Roland Garros, and the Eiffel Tower Stadium on the Champ de Mars.
Ireland’s 2024 Paralympic Team:
• Archery: Kerrie Leonard
• Athletics: Orla Comerford, Greta Streimikyte, Mary Fitzgerald, Shauna Bocquet, Aaron Shorten
• Cycling: Katie-George Dunlevy, Josephine Healion, Richael Timothy, Ronan Grimes, Damien Vereker, Martin Gordon, Eoin Mullen (pilot), Eve McCrystal (pilot) Mitchell McLaughlin (pilot), Linda Kelly (pilot)
• Equestrian: Kate Kerr Horan, Michael Murphy, Jessica McKenna, Sarah Slattery
• Powerlifting: Britney Arendse
• Rowing: Katie O’Brien, Tiarnán O’Donnell
• Swimming: Dearbhaile Brady, Ellen Keane, Barry McClements, Róisín Ní Ríain, Deaten Registe, Nicole Turner
• Table Tennis: Colin Judge
• Triathlon: Cassie Cava, Judith MacCombe, Chloe MacCombe, Catherine Sands (guide), Eimear Nicholls (guide)
As Ireland’s Paralympic team heads to Paris, the nation will be watching and cheering them on, hoping for more moments of glory on the global stage.