Róisín Ní Riain and Dearbhaile Brady added yet more medals to Ireland’s collection at the World Para Swimming European Championships in Turkey on Friday on the penultimate day of the event, the pair now having won six between them after they both earned silver in their latest finals.
Ní Riain looked set for her second gold in as many days in the 200m Individual Medley after leading through the first 150m, but she tired on the final lap and was overtaken by Italy’s Carlotta Gilli – who she had held off to successfully to defend her 100m backstroke title on Thursday.
And later in the day, Gilli triumphed again in the 50m freestyle after a tight finish that saw Ní Riain miss out on bronze by just .55 of a second.
There was an even tighter margin in Brady’s 50m freestyle final, the Derry teenager leading until the race’s final stroke when she was pipped to gold by Switzerland’s Nora Meister. It was Brady’s third silver of the week having already finished second in the 200m IM and 50m butterfly finals.
Both Emersyn Scully and Síomha Nic Brádaigh made their third finals of the week, but both found the pace too hot. Scully finished last in the 200m IM final, while Nic Brádaigh was sixth in the 100m freestyle.
Ní Riain and Brady will be back in action in the heats on Saturday morning on the final day of the championship, Ní Riain taking on the 400m freestyle and Brady going in the 100m breaststroke. Luke Brennan and Luke O’Donoghue will also be aiming to wrap up their week by reaching the final of the 200m IM and 100m backstroke respectively.