BETHANY FIRTH COMMENTS ON HER GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE
Swimming
16-year-old Bethany Firth has claimed Ireland’s first medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games in taking Gold in the Women’s 100m Backstroke S14 Final at the Aquatics Centre.
Firth’s winning time of 1:08.93 was 1.4 seconds faster than the time she qualified with in this morning’s heat and. 64 off her personal best of 1:08.29. Australian Taylor Corry took Silver in a time of 1:09.46 while Dutch swimmer Marlou van der Kulk took bronze in 1:09.50.
Firth who was only the 4th fastest qualifier this morning lead the final race throughout the entire race cheered on by the massive Irish crowd in the London Aquatic Centre.
Following her Gold medal performance, Firth said,
“The crowd were amazing, I could actually hear them under the water, they were carrying me along and pushing me along and making me go faster, I don’t think I could have done it without the crowds”
“It’s amazing, I love it, words can’t describe how I feel right now! I thought I came 3rd and then I saw I was 1st, I was just over the moon,” continued Firth.
Despite being one of the youngest competitors, Bethany enjoyed a meteoric start to her Paralympic career, winning silver in her 100m backstroke event and reaching the final of her two other events at last year’s IPC European Swimming Championships in Berlin.
Since 2009, Bethany has competed in numerous able-bodied and disability competitions, with continued success. Along with her exploits in Berlin, 2011 proved particularly rewarding with the DSE National Junior Championships in Sheffield (seven gold medals), the Ulster Championships (two bronze medals) and the UK School Games (a gold and two silver medals).
Laurence McGivern finished 8th in the Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 final at the Aquatics Centre this evening. Participating in his first Paralympic Games, the 19-year-old from Rostrevor in Co. Down could not improve on the PB he clocked in the heats and recorded a time of 1:06.11 in the Final. The gold medal was won by Australia’s Matt Cowdrey in a time of 1:02.39.
McGivern said
“I was really excited after this mornings race, but it was really scary before the race with all those top guys, focused and looking for Gold, I’m still very happy with the time I did”
Athletics
News on Jason Smyth’s 100m T13 Heat to follow…
Equestrian
In the Team Test Grade 1a Helen Kearney aboard MISTER COOL ranked third of the fourteen riders on a score of 72.235. Sophie Christiansen of Great Britain registered the top score (83.765) while Kearney’s teammate Geraldine Savage finished in tenth place on BLUES TIP TOP TOO on 68.000.
Looking ahead to tomorrow…
Looking ahead to tomorrow and the Irish Paralympic Team will be looking to set the Olympic Stadium alight. Catherine O’Neill competes in the Club Throw Final in the morning and Jason Smyth (100m T13 Final) and Michael McKillop (800m T37 Final) compete in the evening session.
At the Aquatics Centre Darragh McDonald and James Scully are in action and in the Velodrome James Brown and Damien Shaw will vie for a medal in the Individual Time Trial B.
[events_list scope=”today”]
COLLATED RESULTS DAY 2:
Swimming
Women’s 100m Backstroke S14 Final
Result: 1.Bethany Firth (IRL) 1:08.93, 2. T Corry (AUS) 1:09.46, 3. M van der Kulk (NED) 1:09.50
Women’s 100m Backstroke S14 Heats
Qualifiers Heat 2: 1. JJ Applegate (GBR) 1:10.32, 2. Bethany Firth (IRL) 1:10.33
Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 Final
Result: 1. M Cowdrey (AUS) 1:02.39, 2. J Crisp (GBR) 1:03.62, 3. X Liu (CHN) 1:03.73, 8. Laurence McGivern (IRL) 1:06.11
Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 Heats
Qualifiers Heat 2: 1. X Luiu (CHN) 1:04.91, 2. M Peters (GBR) 1:05.12, 3. T Sors (HUN) 1:05.20, 4. Laurence McGivern (IRL) 1:05.35
Men’s 400m Freestyle S8 Heats
Qualifiers Heat 1: 1. S Hynd (GBR) 4:33.25, 2. Y Wang (CHN) 4:37.86, 3. C Burkard (GER) 4:45.40, 4. Jonathan McGrath (IRL) 4:53.25 DNQ
Athletics
Men’s 100m T13 Heats
Women’s Long Jump F37/38
Medallists: 1. M Goncharova (RSA) 4.84, 2. I Stryshak (UKR) 4.79, 3. Y Cao (CHN) 4.40, 7. Heather Jameson (IRL) 4.11
Men’s Club Throw F31/32/51
Medallists: 1. Z Dimitrijevic (SRB) 26.88, 2. R Beles (CZE) 26.67, 3. L Bahlaz (ALG) 26.31, 15. John McCarthy 20.36
Cycling
Men’s Individual Pursuit C2 Bronze Medal Ride-off
Result: 1. L Thirionet (FRA) 3.53.547, 2. Colin Lynch (IRL) 3:53.667
Men’s Individual Pursuit C2 Qualifiers
Qualifiers: 1. G Liang (CHN) 3:45.828, 2. T Graf (GER) 3.47.799, 3. L Thirionet (FRA) 3.52.955, 4. Colin Lynch (IRL) 3:54.946
Individual 1KM Time Trial B
Medallists: 1 F Johnson & S Mortin (AUS) 1:08.919, 2. A McGLynn & H Scott (GBR) 1:09.469, 3. P Gray & L Thompson (NZL), 5. Catherine Walsh & Francine Meehan (IRL) 1:12.864, 7. Katie George Dunleavy & Sandra Fitzgerald (IRL) 1:14.315
Men’s Individual Pursuit C3 Qualifiers
Qualifiers: 1. J Berenyi USA 3:36.148, 2. D Nicholas (NZL) 3:36.757, 3. D Kenny (GBR) 3:37.977, 4. A Bbydennov (RSA) 3:43.244, 7. Enda Smyth (IRL) 3:47.542
Shooting
Men’s R1-10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1
Leading Qualifiers: 1. C Dong (CHN) 596, J Neumaier (GER) 594, 3. J Jakobsson (SWE) 593, 29. Sean Baldwin (IRL) 553 DNQ
Table Tennis
Men’s Singles M1 Preliminaries
Rob Davies (GBR) bt Philip Quinlan (IRL) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
Women’s Singles F1-2 Preliminaries
Rena McCarron Rooney (IRL) bt M Bargouthi (JOR) v 10-12, 12-14, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9
F Sireau (FRA) bt Eimear Breathnach (IRL) 12-14, 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-3
Rowing
LTAMix4+ Heats
Heat 2 Results: 1. Great Britain 3:23.59, 2. USA 3:28.36, 3. Canada 3:29.69, 5 Ireland 3:33.95
Equestrian
Team Test Grade IA (Ongoing)
Result: 1. S Christiansen (GBR) 83.765, 2. L Tan (SIN) 74.235, 3. Helen Kearney (IRL) 72.235, 3. R Froes (BRA) 71.353, 10. Geraldine Savage (IRL) 68.000
Team Test Grade IV
Results: 1. S Wells (GBR) 75.906, 2, M George (GER) 72,906, 3. F Hosmar (NED) 71.781, 4. James Dwyer (IRL) 69.719
