Sarah Slattery’s seventh-place Ireland’s best result on penultimate morning of Paralympics

6 September 2024; Sarah Slattery of Ireland on Savona during the Grade V team event on day nine of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games at Château de Versailles in Paris, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Sarah Slattery’s seventh-place finish in the Para dressage was Ireland’s best result on the penultimate morning of Paralympic action.

Having finished ninth in qualifying, one place outside the top eight spots, Slattery, as first reserve, received an 11th hour call up to Saturday morning’s Grade V Freestyle final after one of the top eight qualifiers withdrew. Her score of 71.795 saw her place seventh of the eight competitors in the field.

Elsewhere around Paris, Mary Fitzgerald threw 7.64m in the F40 shot putt final for eighth. Her best throw was significantly down on the 8.87 PB the Kilkenny woman set earlier this year.

And had she been able to get near that PB in today’s final, it would have secured her bronze.

Richael Timothy was 11th in the C1-3 road race. She crossed the line in 1:48:47, almost 10 minutes behind gold medal winner Keiko Sugiura of Japan.

Britney Arendse is the final Irish competitor in Paralympic action later today. Her women’s-up-to-79kg final starts at 4pm.