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Here's How You Can Follow The Midlands Paralympians In Tokyo

Monday, 23 August 2021 15:21

You can learn more about Nicole Turner and Gary O'Reilly here.

As the Paralympics looms here's everything you'll need to keep track of the midlands athletes. 

Portarlington's Nicole Turner is first out of the blocks as she competes across three disciplines in the pool. 

First up for her is the 50m Freestyle on Wednesday August 25th, with the heats commencing at 2.21am Irish time. 

If she qualifies for the final that will take place at 10.46am on the same morning. 

The 19 year-old then has a three day break before returning to the water for the 100m breaststroke. 

The heats of that event are on 1.07am on Saturday morning followed by a potential final at 9.07am, eight hours later. 

Her final event, the 50m Butterfly is on the following Monday (August 30th) at 1.42am Irish time with a subsequent final at 9.57am. 

Throughout her young career Nicole has won a plethora of medals including two silver and a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2016 aged just 14. 

She would go on that same year to reach five finals at the Rio games, placing 5th in her favoured 50m Butterfly. 

Since then Turner has collected a silver and bronze at the European and World Championships in 2018 and 2019 while earlier this year,  she won medals in all four of her events at the European Championships in Madeira; silver in 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke and bronze in 50m freestyle and 200m IM individual medley.

DATES: 

  • Wednesday August 25th.
  • Saturday August 28th.
  • Monday August 30th. 

Another Laois representative on Team Ireland is Portlaoise's Gary O'Reilly who will compete in Handcycling events. 

The 28 year-old takes part in the H-5 category Individual time-trial and road race event across two days in Tokyo. 

It's been a remarkable rise for O'Reilly who only took up the sport in 2017 after a chance encounter with another cyclist Declan Slevin at a wheelchair basketball game. 

He'd previously taken part in basketball and rugby to keep fit. 

Since switching to hand-cycling, the Portlaoise CC has moved up the rankings from the National League four years ago to his first World Championships in 2019, finishing a superb sixth.

O'Reilly improved once again this year to take a bronze in the time trial event at the World Championships in June alongside a solid fourth-placed finish in the road race and comes into his first Paralympics ranked sixth in the world. 

DATES:

  • Tuesday August 31st
  • Wednesday September 1st

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