‘You always have something to strive for' – Róisín Ní Ríain looks to build on Paris medals by hitting peak at World Para Championships
During her schooldays, her alarm used to go off at 4.45am and she'd first splash into the pool by 5.30. But college isn't quite so severe, Ní Ríain rising at 5.45 and making the seven-minute walk across campus for the first of two two-hour sessions.
All of it is a foundation for what she hopes will be a towering peak in September, when she lines up at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore. 'It's a long season so I'm putting in big blocks of training,' she says. 'I'm picking smaller competitions and building up – stepping stones to the big one.'
She plans to contest four events in Singapore in the S13 (partially sighted) category: the 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley and 100m breaststroke, with the 400m free also an option.
Paris, and the 2024 Paralympics, saw Ní Ríain's profile explode as she claimed silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 200m IM, adding to her two golds from the Europeans and the world gold in 2023.
In March, she was the Grand Marshal of the St Patrick's Day parade in her native Limerick, which she describes as 'such a wonderful experience'.
It was only when she landed home from Paris that she fully appreciated the impact of her achievement. 'One of the nicest things was the support I had, seeing how much it meant to other people. That was really special to me.'
Coached by John Szaranek, Ní Ríain is the sole para athlete in the group of 20 high-level swimmers based at Swim Ireland's National Centre in Limerick, where she shares a house with six training partners.
'Having a group like that you can lean on in the bad times and be inspired by in the good times,' she says. 'We're a group of friends who swim together. We're just having fun and that's something to never lose sight of in sport – the reason you're doing it is because you love it.'
The tide is steadily rising in Irish swimming and Ní Ríain said she was 'so inspired' by the medal-winning feats of Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry last year. 'They set the tone and we really wanted to live up with it.'
As high as she has climbed, she's still a week shy of her 20th birthday and so there could be lots of improvement to come. 'That's why a lot of athletes love sport – every time you get out to race there's something you can improve,' she says.
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'There's never the perfect swim, there's always something you can take from it and bring into the next swim. You always have something to strive for and you're always working to be better technically or do sessions better in the gym.'
Ní Ríain is speaking from the launch of Paralympics Ireland's new partnership with Uber which will see the company deliver direct financial assistance and access to its transport services for members of the Irish Paralympic team.
'I'm a visually impaired athlete and I can't drive, so it's been game-changing for me, giving me a level of independence I wouldn't otherwise have,' she says.
It's a welcome helping hand on the road to Singapore, and her bid for another world title. Not that she'll be preoccupied by the outcome.
'Any time you get in the pool, what you want is a PB. On a very basic level, that is my goal – in as many events as I can. If I can give it my best, I have to be happy with that.'
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