Orla Barry has continued the impressive success of the Irish team at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Doha, claiming a bronze medal in the discus in the F57 class.
The 25-year-old Cork athlete threw a season’s best of 29.82 metres with her second attempt to secure a place on the podium.
This is a fifth major championship medal for bilateral amputee Barry, who also claimed bronze at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
The event was won by world record holder Saifi Nassima of Algeria with a throw of 34.31m, while reigning European champion Stela Eneva of Bulgaria took silver with a best effort of 32.25m.
Barry said: “I’m really pleased to make a world championship podium again. It’s been a long season so to save my best performance of the year for when it mattered is really satisfying. This is such a competitive class, so I had to be on top form to be in with a chance. It’s a great feeling.”
Ireland’s Deirdre Mongan saw herself upgraded to bronze following the completion of the F53 shot put final.
Following a protest by several nations, including Ireland, the original top-two finishers - Svitlana Stetsyuk of Ukraine and Fatema Nedhams of Bahrain - were disqualified for illegal throwing actions.
Dimitra Korokida of Greece won gold with a throw of 4.36m, while Canada’s Pamela Lejean secured silver with a throw of 4.34m.
The Galway athlete’s bronze brings the nine-strong Ireland team’s medal haul for the championship to six.
Mongan, who returned to top-level competition this year following the birth of her daughter in 2014, said: “While I was disappointed not to throw closer to my lifetime best of 4.26m achieved earlier this year, I really struggled with the heat out there today. I just felt exhausted, in those kinds of temperatures my power is really affected. We had a long wait on the outcome of the protests, so when news came through I was just so thrilled. It’s been a long road to get back to this level after having my daughter, so to medal is a brilliant feeling.”
Wheelchair racer John McCarthy clocked 25.40 seconds to finish eighth in the final of the T51 100m in the evening session, while major championship debutant Hayley Fitzsimons was sixth in the shot put in the F40 category with a personal best of 5.20m.
