THE full Para athletics team that will represent Ireland at the Paralympic Games this summer has been announced today.
A five person Para athletics team will fly to Paris for the Games which take place from August 28 to September 8.
The addition of these five athletes brings the team size to 12 named so far with the remaining members of the team to be announced over the next two weeks.
Paris will be Orla Comerford’s third Paralympic Games.
She qualified the first female athletics slot for Ireland last July at the World Para-Athletics Championships, finishing fourth, just 0.06 seconds off the bronze medal in the 100m T13 final.
The 100m sprinter has gone from strength to strength, recently clocking a new PB breaking 12 seconds for the first time in her career.
She ran 11.90 in the 100m final at the National Senior Track and Field Championships in June this year.
Greta Streimikyte is another veteran of the squad having also made her Paralympic debut in Rio 2016. Paris will be her third Paralympic Games.
Similarly to her teammate Comerford, she secured a female slot for Ireland at the World Para-Athletics Championships last July.
Mary Fitzgerald made her Paralympic Debut in Tokyo, a different Games to the normal spectacle where she placed 6th in the women’s F40 shot put with a best throw of 7.79m.
She will look forward to a different experience for her second Games with family and friends allowed to travel and support.
Shauna Bocquet is the first of two debutants on the team.
The Galway native will compete in three events in Paris – T54 100m, 1500m and 5000m. She has set multiple personal bests over the last twelve months and has been invited to compete at various Diamond Leagues in Europe.
Carlow man Aaron Shorten will also be making his Paralympic debut and rounds off the team as the only male athlete. His preferred event is the T20 1500m.
Both Shorten and Bocquet made their major championships debut last summer at the Para Athletics World Championships in Paris.
Speaking on today’s announcement, Paralympics Ireland Chef de Mission, Neasa Russell said: “We are delighted to announce the Para athletics team for Paris 2024.
“With just over 40 days to go until the Games, the excitement is really building around Team Ireland and we are very proud of the effort and commitment of these athletes in securing their place on the plane. We look forward to supporting and celebrating them in Paris later this summer.”
James Nolan, Head of Paralympic Athletics, added: “I am delighted for the five athletes named today on the Para-Athletics team for the 2024 Paralympic Games. Slots in Para-Athletics are very hard to secure with Para-Athletics being the biggest sport within the Paralympic Movement in terms of the number of participating athletes and countries.
“Paris 2024 will be the pinnacle for some athletes, for others the beginning and great experience for their LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 campaigns.
“As we go through a phase of squad rebuilding, after many retirements post Tokyo, Paris will assist greatly and serve to inspire the next generation of para-athletics athletes. We wish the athletes all the very best in their final preparations.”
Paralympics Ireland CEO, Stephen McNamara said today was “a momentous day”.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the athletes, their dedicated coaches, and supportive families on this significant milestone,” he said.
“The journey to qualify for the Games demands immense dedication and perseverance, making this achievement a testament to their years of hard work and unwavering commitment.”
Ireland’s Para Athletics Team for Paris 2024:
Orla Comerford
Age: 26
Hometown: Dublin
Club: Raheny Shamrock Athletics Club
Classification: T13
Greta Streimikyte
Age: 28
Hometown: Swords
Club: Clonliffe Harriers Athletics Club
Classification: T13
Mary Fitzgerald
Age: 24
Hometown: Kilkenny
Club: Gowran Athletics Club
Classification: F40
Shauna Bocquet
Age: 21
Hometown: Craughwell, Co. Galway
Club: Craughwell Athletics Club
Classification: T54
Aaron Shorten
Age: 21
Hometown: Carlow
Club: St. Laurence O’Toole Athletics Club