Orla Comerford has claimed bronze in her 100m Paralympic final at Stade de France as Team Ireland doubled their medal haul on Day 6.
Just over five minutes after Róisín Ní Riaín took bronze in the pool, the Raheny Shamrock athlete also took the final spot on the podium in the T13 final with a time of 11.94, just outside of her PB.
Watch how Orla Comerford delivered a podium finish
The 26-year-old qualified as third fastest qualifier from this morning's heats, behind Brazil's Rayane Soares da Silva and Lamiya Valiyeva of Azerbaijan, and it was those too that took the top two spots, with the Azerbaijani breaking the world record with a scorching time of 11.76 to take gold.
While the Raheny Shamrock athlete was the slowest out of the traps in her morning heat, only Canada’s Bianca Borgella had a faster reaction.
By 50m the podium winners were effectively sealed, with Valiyeva, the only woman to better Comerford’s season best of 11.90 set at the National Championships in Santry edging out the Brazilian, whose time of 11.78 also bettering the previous world record.
Comerford, who has a genetic eye disease called Stargardt disease and began losing her vision aged 11, never gave American Kym Crosby a look-in for third.
"It feels insane," she told RTÉ Sport. "I think my initial feelings when I crossed the line were of disappointment and then when I was turned around and Went to my family I was like, 'I can’t be disappointed with that.’
Post-race reaction
"I’m delighted. It’s so lovely to have so much Irish support here, it feels really like a home Games."
The fast start paved the way for a first Paralympic medal.
"I just got up and I remember feeling the girls there in front of me and I was just pushing as much as I could, I didn’t want to get tense or tighten up," she said.
"I just said, ‘run your own race’. All I remember at the end was trying to stay relaxed and push myself out. Thankfully it was enough for third."
The experience of Tokyo makes tonight all the sweeter. A torn hamstring 10 days out from competition ended her ambitions in the heats, but in truth she was struggling after the death of her coach Brian Corcoran.
His family were among the travelling army of supporters.
Now she sits very much among the world's elite.
"I think he would be proud," she said. "His wife Connie and son Rob are here so I hope they are proud.
"Good God, if you had told me then (2021) you’d get a medal in Paris I would have jumped for joy, so I think I have high expectations for myself."
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