Rio Paralympics Opening Wednesday September 7th 2016

Irish Athletes Rio Paralympic Schedules - Athletics

Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday September 7th - Sunday September 18th

Irish Paralympic Team Rio 2016 min

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Live Coverage of the Opening Ceremony, on RTE 2, at 10pm, Wednesday 7th September

ATHLETICS

Noelle Lenihan (North Cork AC)

Noelle Lenihan Interview on RTE Radio 1 Drivetime Program, Tuesday September 6th 2016

The interview is at approx. 2 hour & 11 min into the podcast, and lasts approx. 5 mins.

Noelle competes in the Discus, F38 category. This is her First Paralympic Games.

The 16-year old, from Milford, one of the youngest members of the team, is the world record holder in her category. She was a silver medallist at the IPC Athletics World Championships (2015), and is the European champion. Noelle burst onto the world stage when she took the Silver at the IPC World Championships, in Doha, in late 2015, where she also set a world record. She followed this with success at the IPC Grand Prix where she placed third in the world.

Cork schoolgirl Noelle has been named as one of IPC’s ‘Athletes to Watch’ for Rio 2016. The promise shown by finishing third at the IPC Grand Prix last year was underlined when she made her international championship debut at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha and won silver and set a new world record. She has continued that trend by winning gold at this year’s European Championships in Italy (June 2016), landing another world record with her very first throw of 32.14m. She is coached by her dad Jim and Dave Sweeney.

Noelle Lenihan wins Gold and sets new World Record

Noelle Lenihan - Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month - September 2015

Interview with Noelle Linehan - Cork City Sports Athlete of the Month October 2015 from Webmaster - Cork Athletics on Vimeo.

Niamh McCarthy (Eagle AC)

Twenty two year old Niamh, from Carrigaline, competes in the Discus, F41 category. This is her First Paralympic Games

Niamh first emerged onto the paraathletics scene in 2013 and has made quick progress since then. The IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha last year was her first major championship and she won a bronze medal. She started this year by setting a new Personal Best of 24.98m in France and then smashed that PB at the European Championships in June, where her 27.05m throw won silver in a combined F40/41 competition and also set a new European record for her class. She goes to Rio ranked third in the world in her event. John McCarthy is her life-long coach but she moved to Dublin after Christmas to train full-time and is now under the guidance of Dave Sweeney.

Orla Barry

Orla (Discus, F57). The 25-year-old, from Ladysbridge, has twice competed at the Paralympics, finishing fifth in Beijing (2008) and winning Bronze medal at the 2012 LondonParalympics. She is the current European champion. Third games A bronze medal winner at London 2012, Orla's atheltic career started at the age of 16 in 2006. She placed fifth at Beijing 2008 while following the London Paralympics, Orla broke the world record for F57 discus while securing a silver meal at the IPC Athletics World Championships. She then went on to win bronze at the World Championship in Doha in 2015 and gold at the IPC Athletics European Championships.

Orla took up Athletics at the age of 16 in 2006 and has since represented Ireland at two Paralympic Games, finishing fifth in Beijing in 2008 and winning bronze at London 2012. In 2013, she broke the world record for the F57 Discus and won a silver medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships that year. She has shown great form ahead of Rio by winning bronze (later upgraded to silver) at the 2015 World Championships in Doha and she also secured gold at the recent European Championships in Grosseto, Italy (June 2016), clinching the title with a Personal Best throw of 31.18m on her final throw.
She is coached by Pat Furlong.

Other Irish Athletes competing in the Athletics

Orla Comerford (Athletics, T13): She has just completed her Leaving Certificate at Loreto, St Stephen's Green and wants to go to Art College. Turning 19 in Rio this is her first Paralympics.

Paul Keogan (400 metres, T37): He played Gaelic football and soccer with his school, St Pat's, Navan, but at 17 got a knock in a match that caused him to have a brain haemorrhage. A former 100/200 metre sprinter, he won three medals at the Cerebral Palsy World Games in Nottingham last year.

Michael McKiltop (1500 metres, T37): The triple Paralympics gold medallist - 80 metres in Beijing and 800 and 1500 metres in London - is also the world record holder at both distances. There is no T37 800 metres in Rio.

Patrick Monahan (800 metres, Marathon, T53): Took up wheelchair racing in 2013, won the Dublin Marathons in 2014 and 2015 and is the Irish record holder at 1.29.44.

Deirdre Mongan (Shot Putt, F53,54): She won a bronze medal at the IPC Worlds in Doha (2015) and a bronze at the recent European Championships in Grosseto, Italy. She works for the Health Research Board in Dublin.

Jason Smyth (100 metres, T13); Double Paralympics gold medallist at the Beijing and London games in the 100 and 200 metres, he was crowned "The Fastest Paralympian on the Planet" when he won the Rio One Year to Go celebration. Double world record holder, his PB, 10.22 is the second fastest time run by an Irishman.

Greta Streimikyte (1500, T13): One of triplets, she moved to Ireland from Lithuania five years ago, she won a bronze at the Europeans and then knocked almost six second s off her personal best atthe AAI National Championships.

Athletics - Irish Athletes Schedules

Times update 21:15, Thurs 8th Sept

Day	Athlete	Event	Rio Time	Irish Time
Thurs 8th	Greta Streimiktyte	T13 1500m Heats	11:30	15:30
Thurs 8th	Jason Smyth	T13 100m Heats	19:19	23:19
Fri 9th	Jason Smyth	T13 100m Final	11:09	15:09
Sat 10th	Greta Streimiktyte	T13 1500m Final	11:13	15:13
Sat 10th	Orla Comerford	T13 100m Heats	11:00	15:00
Sun 11th	Orla Comerford	T13 100m Final*	10:57	14:57
Sun 11th	Michael McKillop	T37 1500m Final	11:59	15:59
Mon 12th	Deirdre Mongan	F53 Shot Put Final	10:05	14:05
Wed 14th	Patrick Monahan	T53 800m Heats	11:26	15:26
Thurs 15th	Orla Barry	F57 Discus Final	10:05	14:05
Thurs 15th	Paul Keogan	T37 400m Heats	11:45	15:45
Thurs 15th	Niamh McCarthy	F41 Discus Final	17:40	21:40
Thurs 15th	Patrick Monahan	T53 800m Final*	19:01	23:01
Fri 16th	Paul Keogan	T37 400m Final*	10:23	14:23
Sat 17th	Noelle Lenihan	F38 Discus Final	17:32	21:32