President to welcome gold medal winner

THE President, Mrs Robinson, will be at Dublin Airport tomorrow morning to welcome home another Irish woman gold medal winner.

Bridie Lynch (31), from St Johnston near Lifford in Co Donegal, who is partially sighted, won gold in the discus event and a bronze in the shot putt, at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta which ended yesterday. She threw 37.14 metres, to win the discus gold last Tuesday.

The Irish competitors won three silver and six bronze medals.

Speaking to The Irish Times from Atlanta last night, the assistant chef de mission with the Irish Paralympics team, Ms Anne Ebbs, said it was their most successful games for many years. She wanted in particular to thank the Minister of State for Sport, Mr Bernard Allen, for his financial support.

The silver medal winners include David Malone, from Dublin, in the 100 metre backstroke swimming event for amputees; and Mairead Berry (22), Dublin, who won her silver in the 50 metre backstroke cerebral palsy race.

Tom Leahy (40), of Cork, won silver in the Boccia singles (a sport similar to bowls, specifically adapted for people with severe disabilities).

Among the bronze medal winners are blind equestrienne Joan Salmon, of Dublin, for coming third in the Kur, a high level freestyle dressage event.

Former Limerick hurler Sean O'Grady took bronze in the F5 discus for paraplegics. Mary Rice, Belfast, won a bronze medal in the 200 metre race for cerebral palsy, while her sister Sharon took the bronze in the cerebral palsy shot putt. Grainne Barrett Condron, Dublin, took bronze in the les autres (unclassified disability) women's shot putt event.