After all the build-up, and Wednesday's spectacular opening ceremony, it was finally time to get down to action on Day 1 of the Paralympic Games.
For Team Ireland, the wait to add to 230 medals won since the inaugural Games will go on for another day at least.
At the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Richael Timothy and Damien Vereker, pilot Mitchell McLaughlin, did all that could be asked of them in posting PBs, but it wasn’t enough to advance.
Martin Gordon, with Eoin Mullen piloting, finished 12th in the men's 4000m individual pursuit in an event where the world record was shattered twice during the heats, a further nod to the rapidly rising standards within para-cycling.
Further opportunities will present themselves to Irish cyclists before the Games are out.
Pressure was a theme that surfaced on a number of occasions.
In her ranking event, archer Kerrie Leonard admitted that she struggled initially in dealing with the enormity of the Games.
She might not have the same luxury in Friday’s head-to-head elimination encounter with 2016 Olympic champions Jiamin Zhou, but the Meath woman believes it was always a possibility on Day 1.
Her second half scores at Esplanade des Invalides backed her up view that she managed to regather and refocus.
A silver medallist in Tokyo three years ago, the expectations around the Laois woman have risen accordingly, not always an easy cross to bear.
"It’s hard reaching the top, but it’s a way herder to stay there," she said post-race. "When you get introduced into winning medals, it’s put on you then to stay good. It’s that bit harder."
The second Irish finalist in the pool also addressed the idea of pressure and expectations. Given her five-medal haul at the European Championships earlier this year, it is a subject close to Róisín Ní Ríain's heart.
Fifth-fastest in her S13 100m butterfly heat this morning, the medal contender finished a place off the podium, but with three more events to come – the 19-year-old will compete in Friday’s S13 100m backstroke final – she is focused on using the experience as a launchpad for the rest of the Games.
"Every time I get out to swim I try to get out and do as best as I can for myself," the University of Limerick student said.
"I try to bring that attitude to every race and I think that eliminates some of the potential pressures that might be coming from outside."
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