Newtownards' Barry McClements prepares for Team Ireland medal bid after reaching S9 100m butterfly final at Paralympics Games
Team Ireland’s Barry McClements has reached the final of the S9 100m butterfly event at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
The Newtownards man, who clinched a bronze medal for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, was third in his heat on Friday, just over one second behind winner Timothy Hodge from Australia.
McClements – eighth in the 100c backstroke earlier in the week – set a time of 1:01.85, which is outside his PB of 1:01.39.
The 22-year-old will now stake his claim for a medal in the final on Friday evening at La Defense Arena after qualifying as the sixth fastest finisher.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, McClements said: “That felt good. There were no technical issues, the start and turn were both good.
“I maybe got caught out in the first couple of strokes and tied up in the last 15m, but that will be corrected tonight so I’m happy enough.
“My front-end speed isn’t as fast as the other guys. At the Europeans I turned fifth at the wall and finished third, I’m able to bring it back a bit more than the other guys,” he added.
“That’s my second fastest morning swim ever, so hopefully a PB tonight.”