The World Para Athletics Championships began on Friday night in London's Olympic Stadium, and it's taken less that 24 hours for Ireland to win its first medal.
Cork discus thrower Niamh McCarthy has won a silver medal in the F41 Final. The 23-year-old threw 26.17 metres in the fifth round to win her second World Championship medal. Two-years-ago, she won bronze in Doha, and beat that medal-winning distance in London by two-and-a-half metres.
McCarthy, who also won silver in last year's Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, finished behind Tunisia's Raoua Tlili in London. The African athlete is the most dominant discus thrower in the F41 class, and is a four-time Paralympic champion and has three golds at the World Championships.
First medal of the Champs - Silver for @niamhmacdiscus in F41 discus final! 🥈Best throw of 26.17m in the fifth round! 👏🏼🇮🇪💪🏼 Well done! pic.twitter.com/Q36LNev3NM
— Paralympics Ireland (@ParalympicsIRE) July 15, 2017
McCarthy's silver medal could begin a brilliant Championships for the Irish team. Last summer in Rio de Janeiro, the team won five medals, including two golds. At the previous World Championships in Doha, the team also won seven medals, with three of those being gold.
Photo by Luc Percival/Sportsfile
