Paralympics Ireland have named a strong Para Athletics Team to represent Team Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. They will join 21 others in eight other disciplines flying the flag for Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games later this month.
The world’s fastest Paralympian, Jason Smyth, will be returning for his 4th Paralympic Games where he will hope to extend his amazing record of never having lost a competitive Para Athletics race.
He will be joined on the team by fellow four-time Paralympian, Michael McKillop who has overcome serious injury to claim his place on the team where he will look to defend his 1500m gold medal.
World Championship bronze medallist and Paralympic silver medallist, Niamh McCarthy will compete at her 2nd Paralympic Games having finished second in the Discus in Rio. She will be joined as a two time Paralympian by her teammates, 1500m European champion, Greta Streimikyte, Wheelchair marathon athlete, Patrick Monahan and the returning Orla Comerford who has put her injury worries behind her to return for the 100m event.
Two athletes will be making their Paralympic debut as Kilkenny’s Mary Fitzgerald and Kerry’s Jordan Lee will become Ireland’s newest Paralympians in track and field.
Mary Fitzgerald has been in superb form having set a new Personal Best thrown of 8:12m in the shot put in Templemore last weekend. Jordan Lee was a bronze medallist in the high jump at the European Championships in 2018 and has gained invaluable experience competing at the World Championships in 2019 and the European Championships earlier this year.
Sport for Business will have interviews with Jason Smyth and Mary Fitzgerald later today and with Chef de Mission Neasa Russell on Thursday as the team flies out to Japan.
We will also be talking to Rob McEvoy of Allianz on what it is like to get behind Team Ireland for the games and we have an interview with Para Cyclist Richael Timothy ahead of her first Paralympics.
Finally, in advance of the games, we have also been chatting to Colin Armstrong of Paralympics Ireland on the preparation he has been doing to deliver content and coverage back to home,
Sport is for all and the Paralympic Games deserves to be given the same respect and coverage as the Olympic Games. We will do our part to ensure that is the case.
In total there will be 29 athletes competing at the Paralympic Games for Team Ireland including the 8 person Para Athletics Team. They will be joined by Colin Judge (Para Table Tennis), Phil Eaglesham (Para Shooting), Britney Arendse (Para Power Lifting), Kerrie Leonard (Para Archery), Pat O’Leary (Para Canoe); Ellen Keane, Nicole Turner, Róisín Ní Ríain, Barry McClements and Patrick Flanagan (Para Swimming); Katie George Dunlevy & Eve McCrystal, Martin Gordon & Eamon Byrnes, Richael Timothy, Gary O’Reilly and Ronan Grimes (Para Cycling) and the 4 person Para Equestrian squad of Kate Kerr Horan, Rosemary Gaffney, Michael Murphy and Tamsin Addison.
The team will travel to the holding camp at Narita City on Thursday, August 12th departing from Dublin Airport on Aer Lingus flight EI 154 before transferring to the Athletes Village in Tokyo.
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