Newtownards' Barry McClements celebrates 'perfectly executed' Paralympic Games final and looks to the future
Newtownards’ Barry McClements finished the men’s 100m butterfly final S9 class with a Personal Best to wrap up his Paralympic Games schedule.
The Team Ireland swimmer progressed past the morning heats to improve on his Tokyo 2020 performance – closing out the final in Paris’ La Défense Arena at 1:01.24 for fifth.
His previous Lifetime Best had been recorded at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships in 1:01.39.
“I got a PB, so I can’t not be happy, I’m definitely capable of going the time that got bronze (1:01.08), so it’s a bit bittersweet but I can’t be angry going a PB,” he said. “The race was perfectly executed in my opinion, to get a medal was always going to be me having a good race and a lot of people having a bad race, everyone out there had a good race.
“If I look back three years ago, I didn’t even have a place to train, I had to train away from home for year, that didn’t quite work out.
"I’ve moved back home, and I’ve only been with my new coach (Kevin Anderson) a year and a half, I owe lot of credit to him and to my team back home.
"Kevin (Anderson), Ryan (Keating), Sinead (Chambers) and Dave (Thompson), they really helped make the dream come through.
"I’ve got another four years until LA; I’m looking forward to it.”
McClements added: “I’m actually so happy, in Tokyo I kind of forgot to enjoy the races, here I really enjoyed them, so I’m really happy.
"I’ve been away for a month now, it was great to seeing my family up there, I can’t wait to see them, I’ve really enjoyed the experience.
"In Tokyo, I only made one final, now I’ve made two finals and in fifth I was really close to a medal. I’m really excited to see what the next four years holds.”
Ballyclare’s Katie Morrow will hope to gain minutes for Team GB today in the women’s wheelchair basketball fifth-sixth play-off meeting with Germany (6.15pm, UK time).
Northern Ireland had nine athletes on show at the Paralympic Games across the Team Ireland and Team GB squads: Claire Taggart (Larne, boccia, Team GB), Barry McClements (Newtownards, para-swimming, Team Ireland), Dearbhaile Brady (Feeny, para-swimming, Team Ireland), Deaten Registe (Dungannon, para-swimming, Team Ireland), Chloe MacCombe (Claudy, para-triathlon, Team Ireland – Catherine Sands, guide), Judith MacCombe (Claudy, para-triathlon, Team Ireland – Eimear Nicholls, guide), Katie Morrow (Ballyclare, wheelchair basketball, Team GB), Jessica McKenna (Belfast, para-equestrian, Team Ireland), David Ross (Lisburn, wheelchair rugby, Team GB).