Euphoria for Team Ireland in Rio

For Ireland’s Paralympians, this was the day of days – two gold medals, one silver, one bronze, and enough euphoric tears to flood the sun-baked streets of Rio.

It was at Pontal, on the Southern coast, where they made the biggest splash – Galway cyclist Eoghan Clifford shrugging off a knee injury to obliterate the field in the C3 men’s time trial, coming home in 38:21.79, 69 seconds clear of silver medallist Masaki Jita of Japan.

His supremacy was so pronounced that it could be mistaken for having been routine, but Clifford was quick to note afterwards that that was not the case.