Rio de Janeiro was the picturesque venue for the 2016 Paralympic Games with much of the action taking place along the famed Copa Cabana beach. After enjoying a holding camp in Uberlandia the Irish team arrived ready and determined to be successful in Rio.
Much of the attention centred on the Irish athletics duo of Michael McKillop and Jason Smyth. Neither athlete had ever lost at the Paralympic Games and both were hoping to capture gold medals at their third games in a row.
Despite the pressure both Smyth and McKillop delivered on their promise as they both crossed the line as three in a row Paralympic champions in their respective disciplines. Jason Smyth outpaced the field in the T13 100m final and Michael McKillop was at his dominant best in the men’s 1500m T37 final. Elsewhere in the athletics arena the famous ‘Rebel Treble’ was completed as Cork natives Niamh McCarthy, Orla Barry and Noelle Lenihan all captured medals for Ireland as Lenihan added bronze to the silver medals won by McCarthy and Barry.
Cycling became the most successful sport from an Irish perspective in Rio as the cycling team won a brilliant 7 medals. Eoghan Clifford won gold in the Time Trial event and added a bronze in the 3000m whilst Colin Lynch clinched a silver medal. The most memorable moment of the games came after the tandem duo of Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal had already crossed the line as they received news of their gold medal win in an emotional moment captured brilliantly in pictures by Sportsfile.
Ellen Keane delivered on her rich promise in the swimming pool as she won bronze for Ireland. Keane is still the youngest Irish Paralympian and was remarkably competing at her third games in Rio, her first having been at Beijing when she was just 13.
First Name | Surname | Medal | Sport | Event | Classification |
Jason | Smyth | Gold | Athletics | Men’s 100m | T13 |
Michael | McKillop | Gold | Athletics | Men’s 1500m | T37 |
Noelle | Lenihan | Bronze | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | F38 |
Niamh | McCarthy | Silver | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | F41 |
Orla | Barry | Silver | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | F57 |
Colin | Lynch | Silver | Cycling | Men’s Time Trial | C2 |
Eoghan | Clifford | Gold | Cycling | Men’s Time Trial | C3 |
Katie George | Dunlevy | Silver | Cycling | Women’s Road Race | B |
Eve | McCrystal | Silver | Cycling | Women’s Road Race | B |
Katie George | Dunlevy | Gold | Cycling | Women’s Time Trial | B |
Eve | McCrystal | Gold | Cycling | Women’s Time Trial | B |
Eoghan | Clifford | Bronze | Cycling | Men’s 3000m Individual Oursuit | C3 |
Ellen | Keane | Bronze | Swimming | Women’s 100m Breaststroke | SB8 |